


Contract With My Boss

by DreamerFae



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Angst, Angst and Humor, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-11
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-08-22 03:46:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 29,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16590263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamerFae/pseuds/DreamerFae
Summary: Touka meets the most irritating and arrogant boss-Kaneki Ken-on earth. What happens when he asks her to form a contract with him?





	1. Chapter 1

"Oh shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" Touka cursed as she dashed through the sea of people on the streets in her formal wear of a white blouse, black pencil skirt, and flats. Today was her interview with a major IT company, Asset, and she just had to oversleep on this important day.

She managed to reach on time, where her name was called immediately after the lift to the 22nd floor opened. While she straightened out her blouse and wiped her sweat away, she briskly walked into the interview room. Being told to sit on a chair in the middle of the room, she did and stared at the panel of interviewers in front of her. There were 4 of them, 2 male, 2 female, and a man in a full black suit sat behind them. His grey eyes felt as if they were piercing into her soul and she quickly directed her attention to the 4 interviewers.

"So Kirishima Touka, you're applying for the position of Personal Assistant, yes? Tell us why we should hire you."

Throughout the interview, instead of feeling nervous about the interview itself, Touka felt the black suit guy's eyes is the main cause of her sweaty hands and shaking. It was like he was judging her every single action she did and the words that came out of her mouth.

"Well then, I think we're done." The 4 interviewees turned to the male who sat behind them. "Do you have questions to ask, Mr. Kaneki?"

Kaneki... Touka gasped. She thought this kind of things would be handled by the Human Resource Department. Who would have imagined that the boss would sit in for a simple interview? Maybe it's his PA, that's why he wanted to? She remained in her seat, heart thumping as she waited for him to come up with a question for her.

Instead of asking her a question as prompted, he stood up and walked towards her. His grey eyes stared into her blue ones and he grabbed her chin to turn her face left and right, as if inspecting. "Hmm, not bad. Let's give you a trial. You'll work for me for a week and I'll be the one to determine whether you'll get to stay or not."

What the hell?! Why would he look at her face and decide whether she can join or not?! Isn't he just a pervert?! Feeling a vein in her head pop in anger, she jerked her head out of his grasp and he smirked at her. She had guts, and he liked that.

"Hope you can actually survive as my PA for 5 days, Miss Kirishima."

With that, the black-haired male shoved his hands into his pockets and walked arrogantly out of the room. Touka clenched her hands into fists as she glared at his back. Screw impressing him, she'll make him beg her to stay as his PA!

.easier said than done, Touka thought as she stared at the stacks of papers on the table. That bastard, asking her to do the impossible of completing 4 stacks of papers by today! Looking at the amount, she knew she will have to do overtime. As she glared at the papers, her eyes caught the smug look on his face from his office, which was opposite her desk.

She watched him mouth the words 'good luck' and almost gave him the middle finger. Instead, she sighed and grabbed a piece of paper to start. A few hours later, it was 8 pm and everyone in the office had already left but her. After pouring herself a cup of coffee, she leaned against the table and rested her head over her crossed arms. Just a 10 minutes nap, she thought as she found herself dozing off to dreamland.

Touka awoke 30 minutes later and realized that she had a jacket around her shoulders. Holding it close to her, she could smell a hint of male's cologne on the outerwear and looked around to find her boss still inside his office. Knocking on the door twice, she entered with his permission and removed the jacket to place it on his table. "Thank you for this."

The male looked up from his laptop and raised a brow. "How did you conclude that it was mine?"

"You're the only one left in this building and I don't think a stranger would have bothered giving me his jacket." She stepped forward to sniff him, to which he reacted by shifting backward in his chair slightly. "Besides, the cologne on the jacket smells exactly like yours."

He was honestly impressed by her deduction. "Good observation. Why are you still at the office this late then?"

"You asked me to finish 4 stacks of papers by today remember? I'll go off when I'm done."

"Oh, that's right," He answered, brows furrowing as if he had seriously forgotten that he assigned her work to do. "But it's uncertain whether I will hire you so don't bother trying so hard. There are some things in this world that no matter how hard you try, good things just don't happen."

Touka stared at his sorrowful eyes as he said it and frowned. "On the other hand, it wouldn't bother anyone if I tried my best. Besides, if I still don't get the job, I'll be contented because I did everything I could."

His eyes widened at her answer and a small smile appeared on his face instead of his usual scowl. "Good luck then."

She found her heart racing when she saw his smiling face and quickly left the office after thanking him. Gripping her shirt, she willed herself to calm down and grinned. Will you look at that? He can be very nice if he wanted to.


	2. Chapter 2

Over the next few days, Kaneki made sure to observe Touka with his own eyes. The first thing he noticed was that she's a hard worker. On top of completing the 4 stacks of papers he gave her yesterday perfectly, she does more than what she's assigned and always asks if she can help with anything else.

She's punctual for work, comes back from lunch break on time and is usually the last one to leave the office due to her wanting to complete the next day's work before the actual day comes. She gives her best in everything and gets along well with her co-workers. To make things better, she has great style and is pretty—he meant presentable—enough to be his personal assistant.

He often asks his employees about Touka and they always tell him that she's a very helpful, outstanding and hardworking person. It's also very rare to find someone who is this good at her work. The verbal evidence plus his own observations of her helped him in his decision.

"Kirishima-san, the boss wants you in his office. Did you do something wrong? He looks..mad." A female co-worker named Hinami asked.

Touka cocked her head to her side as she tried to recall the events for the whole day. "I don't think I did anything wrong though... maybe he didn't like the coffee I made for him? Anyway, thanks for informing me, Hinami. I'll go to his office now."

After she entered the room, he intertwined his fingers together on his desk and looked up at her. "Do you know why you're here?"

"No, sir. Was my work unsatisfactory? Or is it about whether I'm hired or not?"

"It's the second one. Miss Kirishima Touka, I have observed you and your work for the past few days and I am glad to say that you are suitable for the position of my Personal Assistant. You may continue coming to work starting from Monday and I will inform the HR Department to give you the contract next week. You may go."

Her insides brimmed with happiness and she can't help but let a small smile form on her lips. "Thank you!"

\--

Upon hearing the happy news, the brown-haired co-worker—Hinami—squealed in happiness. "I'm so happy that you got the job!"

"Thank you, Miss Fueguchi."

"You can call me just Hinami. I am younger than you after all." Her face then turned into a worried one. "But are you sure? There are rumors around the office that the boss fired his personal assistant 1 month after she started work! They say he's demanding and doesn't care about your health or commitments as long as you get the job done. He's heartless!"

Touka frowned. While he does give off a not-very-friendly impression, she didn't believe that he would be that heartless. "I wouldn't know. I'll have to try working for him first. Thank you for your concern."

"You're welcome! You can talk to me whenever you have a problem." Hinami chirped before going back to her work.

—

"What's my schedule for today?" Kaneki asked.

Touka flipped through her notebook and looked at the long list of things he had to do. "You have a meeting with Mr Jones of La Arc at 10am, then you have a lunch appointment with Ms Yuin at..."

After reading everything on the list, she closed the book and stared at him. What Hinami mentioned yesterday about him intrigued her, but she decided that not asking him was the best way for her to keep her job. Heartless man or not, it was rude to ask the person himself about the rumors. Even more so because they are about him.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something you would like to ask me?"

Her heart raced and her jaw dropped for a split second before she quickly regained her composure. "Nothing. May I go back to my desk now?"

"No. Tell me what you were thinking about. You're acting suspiciously."

She ended up telling him about the rumors she heard and was careful to not mention any names of whom she heard it from. At the end of it, Kaneki remained silent for a few seconds and sighed heavily. "So that's it."

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have—"

"No. Don't apologize. I'll tell you what really happened since you're my PA. A week after she joined the company, I realized that some documents went missing for a certain period of time. They were about a very important product that was about to be released to the market. But for some reason, our competitor released the exact same product a week before the time we were supposed to. So I concluded that we had a mole or someone spilling info from the inside. I found out it was her who gave the data to her boyfriend who was from the competitor's company and fired her immediately. So if the rumors around the office are not those, then they are false. Understood?"

Touka smiled at his answer. She was right about how he wasn't that heartless of a person. He was someone who does things for a reason and was sure that he gave her a trial for a week was because of what happened with his previous PA. "Yes, Boss."

"Okay, stop laughing. You look stupid."

She was appalled at his rudeness though. It seemed that his rudeness was the one thing that he no doubt had. "Hey! I don't look stupid when I laugh!"

Kaneki let out a small chuckle and quickly covered it up with a cough. "Whatever. You can go now."

Somehow, he doesn't seem as bad as the rumors make him out to be. She tried telling Hinami about this and she found it really hard to believe since Touka was only one who heard the full story from him and saw him laugh.

"But if that's what you say, then I believe it's true! Who knew the boss was capable of laughing and being a nice person? That's really good to hear."

"Was he always like this or did something happen?" Touka asked.

"I heard from the older employees that he used to be a very happy and energetic boss. He often chatted with his employees, empathized with them and maintained a friendly relationship with them. But one day, he suddenly stopped and turned into a very cold and distant person he is today. No one knows what happened to make him this way."

After hearing that, the blue-haired lady frowned. She wondered what happened in the past.


	3. Chapter 3

"Psst! Touka!" A male co-worker named Koma called.

"Yes, Koma-san?" She answered while still typing on her laptop without looking at him. "What's up?"

"Did you know that the boss is married? We haven't seen him going out with his wife recently even though they used to be so lovey-dovey. I wonder what happened." He whispered.

Touka stopped typing and turned to Koma with wide eyes. The fact that he's married shocked her because she has never seen him wear a ring on his finger before. "I didn't know that he's married. He doesn't act like a married man, he's always in the office till late--"

"Kirishima-san."

She froze at the call of her name and slowly looked in the direction of the voice. Kaneki was glaring down at the both of them and Koma quickly turned his focus back to his work. This bastard! He's pretending he didn't do anything! "Y-Yes, Mr. Kaneki?" She tried to keep calm but her nervousness slipped out.

"In my office. Now." Kaneki ordered before turning on his heels to briskly walk to his office.

"Yes, sir." She answered before glancing over to Koma who had his hands clapped together and mouthed a 'sorry' to her.

—

Kaneki remained frighteningly quiet when she entered his office and the female stood there, awaiting her punishment—which was either a scolding or even worse, she might get fired from her work for gossiping about him.

"..don't you have anything to say?" He asked and she stiffened.

"I'm sorry."

"It's good that you feel bad about it. Listen, Kirishima. I don't mind that you guys talk about me but do it somewhere I cannot hear. How would you feel if I talked horribly about you in front of your face?"

She hesitated. "..I'd feel upset. But sir, we weren't talking bad about you. I was just shocked to hear that you were married because—"

Slamming a fist on his table, Touka stopped speaking as Kaneki glared at her with gritted teeth. "Mind your own business. Tell the rest of them that if I hear a single thing about me or my wife around the office, I'll fire them. Get out of my office now."

"Y-Yes."

—

"What did he say?" Koma asked after she returned to her desk. She threw him a glare and then sighed. "He'll fire anyone who speaks of him or his wife so you better watch your back, Koma-san."

He gulped. "He's scary!"

Touka frowned. Now she sees why everyone is afraid of him and calls him heartless.

—

It's the end of work for today and everyone has left the office except for her and Kaneki again. Her office phone beeps and it's him calling her to go to his office. She quickly placed down her work and went to him. His eyes met hers when she opened the door and he gestured towards the couch. "Sit."

"Yes, sir." Touka does as she's told and watched as Kaneki pulled a chair to sit in front of her.

He sucked in a breath and exhaled. "I'm sorry for the way I acted towards you earlier on. I shouldn't have vent my anger on you even though it wasn't your fault."

Whatever she was expecting, it was definitely not an apology. On top of that, he's looking at her with an apologetic expression on his face. Touka swallowed and started, "u-um, you don't have to apologize. It was my fault for talking about you too."

He shook his head. "No, it's mine. I tend to get a little..emotional when my wife is brought up."

"I-if you don't mind me asking, may I know what happened? I'm totally fine if you don't want to talk about it—"

Kaneki doesn't know why but with Touka, he felt that it was okay to tell her the truth. He's been burdened by this for a long time and he decided it would be best to let it out so that he wouldn't suffer as much.

"We had an arranged marriage decided by both of our parents and we agreed to get along with one another for the sake of the two companies and our parents. Then, we fell in love and I found her in bed with another guy a few months after we got married. She complained that I was too much of a workaholic and she liked a man who was wilder and was willing to spend more time with her." Kaneki stopped to inhale and Touka placed her hand on his to comfort him.

His eyes met hers and he gave a little smile.

"So we agreed to try to make the marriage work again but—" His voice wavered and he let out a shaky sigh. "She cheated on me again. As much as I loved her, I couldn't stand seeing that anymore."

Touka frowned. "Then why didn't you divorce her? She isn't the type to remain loyal for the rest of her life, I can tell. Is it because of the companies?"

"Yes. I proposed for the both of us to remain married and to interfere in each other's lives only when we need to. To put it simply, it's an estranged relationship." He said.

"..I'm so sorry to hear that."

This was why he turned cold to his employees all of a sudden, it must have been so painful to see a loved one cheat on him.

"I know this isn't any of my business, but is there anything I can do to help?" Touka asked.

Kaneki shook his head. "This is between me and her. You've already done enough for listening to me. Thank you."

Her heart leaped when he squeezed her hand and smiled at her. Feeling blood rush to her cheeks, Touka quickly removed her hand from his and stood up. "I-it's quite late, I should get going."

Looking to the clock which showed 8.49pm, he nodded to her and stood up as well. "I can send you home, as thanks for you listening to my long story. Leave your work for tomorrow, you must be tired. I won't take no for an answer."

"I'll take up your offer then. Thank you."


	4. Chapter 4

"Good morning." Touka greeted as she placed a document on the desk.

Kaneki made a grunt sound and continued scribbling some words onto his papers. He heard a sigh and looked up to see his personal assistant with a frown. "Why're you sighing early in the morning?"

"Because—I greeted you morning and you gave me only a noise in response. After last night's talk, I would have expected or at least wanted us to be a little closer than before. Friends or something."

He stared at her. "..we're boss and employee, Miss Kirishima—"

"Okay, okay. I get that. Sorry for interrupting you. I'll go back to my desk now."

The door closed before he could stop her from leaving.

Later that day, Kaneki left the office at 5pm and headed home straight after buying a few bottles of wine at the supermarket. Pulling at his collar to loosen his tie, he quietly removed his shoes and tossed his briefcase onto his sofa before settling down at the dining table. He poured the wine into his glass and took one sip. Only the sound of the clock ticking echoed in the room and he glanced over to the photo frame that laid on the coffee table. It was one of him and Rize smiling happily.

His mind was swirling with thoughts of missing Rize so damned much and wanted so much to see her. He wanted to kiss her, hug her and hold her. But alas, life is so cruel to make it so that she doesn't love him anymore and he's the one left suffering from his one-sided love.

He downed another 4 cups of wine, quickly feeling the effects of it as his head felt light and body warm and he staggered over to his briefcase to take out his documents. He soon realized that he forgot to bring them home and slowly reached into his bag for his car keys. Along the way down to the lobby, he tripped a few steps and almost fell if it weren't for him holding himself to the wall. He decided he wasn't sober enough to drive and took a cab back to the office.

It's 8pm and Touka is the only one left, still typing away on her computer. A click sound echoed through the office and she turned her head to her boss standing at the door. "Mr. Kaneki? What are you doing back here so late?"

"I'm just..getting some documents." He replied, feet wobbling as he took a few steps before he felt his knees give away and braced himself for the fall before Touka quickly caught him.

"Are you okay?" She asked, worried eyes looking into his. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she sniffed the strong scent in the air. "Have you been drinking? You stink of alcohol."

Kaneki doesn't reply, but instead stared at her. Her arms circled his waist while his wrapped around her shoulders to keep his balance. Given the intensity of his stare, she started to falter under his gaze and stuttered also due to the proximity of his face to hers. She could literally smell and feel his warm breath. "W-why are you staring at me?"

His eyes dilated and he tried to focus. The person he saw wasn't Touka, but Rize.

Feeling joy in his heart that she's finally here with him, Kaneki leaned down to press his lips to Touka's.

\--

Touka's eyes widened as she felt his soft and warm lips pressed to hers and she can't help but enjoy the sweet taste of his lips for that 1 second before she's pushing on his chest to make him release her. Eventually, he does, hesitantly with a whine and sorrowful eyes. "Why are you pushing me away, Rize? I love you, I really love you. Please don't leave me."

"I'm Touka, not Rize. Okay, where do you stay? I'll take you home." She breathed, heart thumping loudly at the sensation on her lips. It's been a while since she's kissed by a man. She made the calculation in her head... 3 years?

He shook his head. "Don't lie, you're Rize."

"I'm not lying—"

Kaneki wrapped his arms around her torso and squeezed her so tightly that she almost couldn't breathe. He rested his chin on her shoulder and closed his eyes with a smile. "It's really you, Rize. I missed you..."

The male stopped talking and she turned to see him already sleeping on her shoulder. "Seriously?! Go home and sleep, not on me!! Oof!" She stumbled backward and struggled to hold his heavy body up with her small figure. Searching his briefcase for anything that had his address on it, she groaned in frustration when she couldn't find one and grabbed her phone to call a cab. She'll have to bring him to her house tonight.

—

Touka threw his arm around her shoulder and held his torso up by her arm. After struggling to get him into her apartment, she finally managed to make it to her room before she's falling onto her bed together with him. She sighed heavily, exhausted from carrying his heavy weight from the office until her home and slowly opened her eyes.

His face was right in front of hers, so closely till she could feel his breath on hers and she stiffened when his arms wrapped around her waist to pull her closer. Kaneki leaned forward to rest his forehead to hers and let out a small smile in his sleep. "Smells nice..."

Even though her heart was racing from this proximity and she had to get away from him as soon as possible, she can't help but stare at his face. He was quite handsome; with his smooth jet black hair, long eyelashes, pointed nose, thin lips, and a defined jawline. He's her type of guy and she would have honestly gone for him if he wasn't her boss and a married man.

Shaking her head to distract her from her..foolish thoughts, Touka slowly extracted herself from his grip and stood up. She looked at how he sprawled across her entire queen sized bed and sighed. Guess I'll be sleeping on the floor today...

—

The next morning...

Kaneki groaned as the bright morning sun hit his face and he slowly cracked open his eyes slowly to glance around the pink girly room. Shooting up in bed, regret took over him as his head throbbed in pain.

"Oh, you're up. Do you want breakfast? I cooked omelet rice and miso soup." A female voice came and he turned to the direction of where it came from. His eyes went wide when he saw his personal assistant standing in the kitchen with a plate of omelet rice in her hands.

"W-what? What is this? Why am I in your bed? Where..?" His mind was swirling with thoughts and for the life of him, he can't think of a single reason that he would visit her house.

Touka blinked at him. "You don't remember what happened last night?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be asking you."

She clicked her tongue when she saw that his rudeness still remained even when he's not feeling well. "You came to the office last night drunk and kissed me."

"I...what?!"


	5. Chapter 5

Kaneki coughed and cleared his throat. Keep calm, keep calm. She could be lying. I don't randomly kiss strangers out of nowhere. Walking towards the dining table, he pulled out a chair and settled down. He willed for his heart to calm down and met her eyes. "How do I know you're not lying?"

The female snorted. "You don't believe me. I guess I don't have the evidence to prove it, if that's what you're saying."

Silence overcame them as he racked his brains for every single thing that happened the previous night. He does remember drinking 5 glasses of wine and taking a cab to the office. After that, he saw Touka and then he... the more he thought about it, the more his head hurt. What happened after he saw her?

...

He then saw Rize at the office and kissed her. He could still remember the softness of those lips on his.

"Was my wife at the office?"

"No. I was the only one."

"..so I mistook you for my wife and kissed you." It wasn't a question, but a statement and Touka nodded to confirm. He buried his face into his hands and sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry. I—I don't know what came over me last night—"

She shrugged as she placed a plate of omelet rice in front of him. "No big deal. It's just a kiss. We can put it behind us. For now, you need to eat some food and then take medicines to ease your headache. Then, you should sleep."

"..you seriously don't mind that I kissed you?"

"Stop stressing about it too much and we'll both forget about it," Touka replied, pulling a chair and settling down in front of him. She took the cutlery and started to dig in.

Kaneki stared down at the delicious-looking food and also started eating. One mouthful was enough to make him want more, as he continued to eat spoonful after another until the plate is clean and emptied. Smiling, she placed some medicines on the table and a glass of water. "Drink up. You'll need them."

"..thanks."

After taking the medicines, the male stood up too abruptly and felt his body sway to the side as his vision spun. He then felt a pair of arms supporting his body and looked down to see his personal assistant with her legs shaking and body trembling whilst struggling to hold his weight against hers. She slowly helped him to her bed and got him to sit down.

"Thanks again. I've troubled you so many times."

"Don't mention it. It's the job of a personal assistant to take care of their boss, even if they're having a hangover." Touka joked and he let out a chuckle, to which he quickly stopped by covering his mouth with his hand.

She frowned at his action and grabbed his hand to pull it away from his mouth. "Don't stop yourself from laughing. It's human nature to laugh."

His heart started racing at how her face was so close to his own, and he could smell her sweet perfume from there. A few weeks have passed since she has become his personal assistant and yet he hasn't had the time or even bothered to look properly at her face. She had fluffy light blue hair, bangs covering half of her face, ocean blue eyes and the most tempting pink lips ever. She's actually a very attractive woman, to say the least.

His eyes gazed at her lips longingly and he licked his dry lips. I want to taste her again... He succumbed to his thoughts and pushed her down to the bed. Touka had her eyes wide open, when he suddenly got on top of her and didn't have time to react as his lips pressed to hers.

Kaneki closed his eyes at the softness of her lips and it turned into imagining that it was Rize's along the way. After separating hesitantly, he looked down at Touka who had her cheeks flushed and eyes wide. She raised her hand to her face, fingers brushing her lips as she tried to process what had just happened. He'd just kissed her, and unlike the time he did it when he was drunk, this time he was sober.

He was equally as shocked as she was—if not more than her—that he actually just did that. Was it because he'd been starved of a woman's touch for too long that he's going after another? Or was it because there was something about this woman that he felt was alright to let his guard down around her?

Pondering about this whilst still resting atop her was not going to give him a good answer, so he got off of her and settled down on the bed beside her. He remained silent for a while and clasped his hands together. "Sorry. I didn't—I don't know what came over me."

Touka slowly sat up and looked down at her lap. She could still feel the warmth of her cheeks and the softness of his lips against hers. "..mm."

"Well then, I should get going." He declared, grabbing his jacket and briefcase.

"Ah, are you sure you're okay?"

He flashed a smile to her. "Thanks for the meal and for taking care of me. I'm fine now."

—

After he left, she plopped back down onto the bed and hugged her rabbit plushie. She found herself blushing when her mind replayed the kiss over and over again. "Is he not going to say anything about the kiss..?"

—

Upon reaching his house, Kaneki threw himself onto his sofa and stared up at the white ceiling. He hit his head as he mentally scolded himself for kissing her suddenly and closed his eyes. What was that all about?

He spent the rest of the Saturday afternoon thinking about the reasons for his actions.

—

The weekend flew by quickly and soon, it was Monday. Touka let out a breath shakily, hands trembling at the thought of seeing her boss again after what happened between them. She took a deep breath and entered his office. "Good morning." She greeted, placing a cup of coffee and a document onto his desk.

"Morning."

Unlike last time, he actually greeted her properly today and she can't help but feel a little mischievous when she heard that. She stifled a laugh and smirked. "So you took my words into consideration. About the greetings."

Kaneki clicked his tongue and glared at her, to which she reacted by laughing out loud.

"Okay, I'll get back to my desk now."

"Kirishima."

"Yes?"

"Meet me here tonight at 8pm. I need to talk to you."

She gulped. It was definitely about the other day. "Okay."

—

After waiting for everyone to leave the office, Touka quickly made her way into her boss' office. "I'm here, Mr. Kaneki."

"Take a seat." He answered, pointing to the chair directly in front of his desk. She does as she's told and watched him bring out a document to place it on the desk.

"Would you form a contract with me?"


	6. Chapter 6

"The contract will include us being in a husband and wife relationship. We will act in the same way a married couple would, with you in-charge of meals, housework and—"

"Wait. Husband and wife? Aren't you already married?"

Kaneki pressed his lips to a thin line. "I'm married only on paper. Rize and I barely even see each other anymore. It's safe to say that I'm not married physically or mentally to her."

"Okay..but hey, why am I—"

"Read the contract first before asking any other questions."

Touka directed her attention back to the paper in her hands. Basically, just as how he'll treat her as his own wife, she'll also be seeing him as her husband. There's a long list of duties she has to do as his wife; like waking him up for work, making meals for him, preparing the shower for him and spending time with him. Below the duties are the rules that she needs to keep. Some include not having dates in public, acting normal in the workplace, never to tell anyone about this contract or relationship etc...

The more she read, the deeper her frown went. This all seemed like a one-sided thing and she can't see any benefits in it for her.

"How am I rewarded for this? Please don't tell me that I'm rewarded by your presence because that is not going to make me say yes."

He snorted at her unfunny joke and tossed a card across the table. "I'll give you a credit card and you can use it as you please. As for the house, I'll be paying for it. You just need to move in there with your belongings."

She scrunched up her nose. "This all seems too good to be true. Tell me the real purpose of this contract. What were you thinking when you typed this out?"

Kaneki bit his lower lip and clasped his hands together. She could see the sadness and loneliness in his eyes. "I...just wanted some companionship. It's been...tough since Rize and I stopped seeing one another. I haven't been able to sleep or eat well—"

These are his true feelings. He's baring his heart to me, I can tell. She imagined him alone in his house, without anyone to talk to him, to love him and she could relate to how he felt. The reason why she moved out of her old house was because after her family passed away in an accident, she felt extremely lonely in an empty house which was once filled with laughter.

"You don't have to say any further."

His eyes met hers in a pleading manner. She's going to reject the contract. "I can't believe I'm begging you right now but please—think about it over the next few days. You don't have to give me an answer right now."

Touka smiled. "I didn't say no."

His breath hitched in his throat. "What?"

Flipping through the pages of the contract, she heaved a sigh and placed it back on the table. "I don't mind as long as I have the right to change some of the rules. Is it alright to have a trial for it first? A one month trial, maybe?"

The male leaned back into his chair with a relieved sigh. "Yeah. We can do that."

She can't deny a small part of her that wants to see how her boss is at work compared to when he's at home. Though this contract was weird to her, it also sounded interesting.

\- EXTRA -

Touka stifled a laugh. "Your face when you were begging me was hilarious."

He gritted his teeth and glared at her. "Oh fuck off."

"Okay, I'm going to add a 'no vulgarities' rule in this contract." She laughed.

\--

It was night by the time they finished moving in all of their items and Kaneki decided it was time to start cooking for dinner. After exiting from the bathroom from a cold shower, Touka walked towards the kitchen where he was cooking some kind of delicious smelling food. She clung on his arm and rested her head there. "Do you need help?"

Her sudden action increased his heart rate for a bit and he willed himself to calm down. What are you doing, getting all nervous? "No, it's alright. You can go sit down."

She frowned. "It's boring waiting for the food to come. Hm, I'll do something else to help you then."

Scooting over to his left, she took the plates and utensils they're going to use and turned on the tap. He's still cooking after she's done washing them and with nothing she can think of helping with, she stared at him. Her gaze distracted him from his cooking and he glanced at her. "What?"

"I've been thinking this ever since you stayed over at my house but you're really handsome. Just sayin'."

Kaneki choked, cheeks turning red at her answer. He squeezed the ladle in his hand, careful not to drop it. Touka found herself giggling at his cute reaction and laughed, even more when he told her to shut up. "Why? It's a compliment!"

"It's making me embarrassed so keep quiet!"

"Would you rather I said you're ugly?"

"..no."

When she lets out another laugh, he turned off the stove and grabbed her face with one hand. "Shush."

She grinned, teasing him. "Make me."

His eyes darkened and his hands smoothed down the curves of her body to rest at her waist. He pulled her close and rested his forehead against hers. "You said it," he whispered as his lips claimed hers. He felt her body tense before relaxing and her arms go around his neck as they exchanged kisses after kisses. Touka's the first one to separate, turning her head away from him to hide the burning blush on her cheeks. "We should eat. The food is gonna get cold."

"Mm."

The female couldn't help but feel disappointed when his body left hers, and she watched as he placed the fried rice on the plates and brought them out to the dining table. Shaking her head to get rid of her thoughts, she followed him and settled down onto the chair across from him. They started to dig in, with her occasionally glancing at him. Doesn't he feel anything from our kisses? She wondered as she stared at his facial expression that looked exactly the same as the one she usually saw in the office. His usual poker face. 

"What?"

He caught me staring! "N-nothing."

"Spit it out. There's nothing to hide between a married couple."

"Ah uh—our kisses—I mean, does kissing and other stuff include in the contract?" She cursed internally. Even if she couldn't ask him how he felt about their kisses, why did she have to ask him about 'kissing and other stuff'?! 

"They can be, if we feel like it. I won't force you to do anything you don't want to."

She gave a nod as an answer and quickly looked out the window. I want to bury myself in a hole now.


	7. Chapter 7

Touka blurted out a sigh upon reaching the office and Kaneki smirked as he walked in after her. "Dreading work early in the morning, I see."

Glancing around the office, she decided that it was safe to talk since no one has arrived yet. She rolled her eyes at him and folded her arms. "I wouldn't be so tired if someone would have just given me a lift with his BMW instead of leaving me to take public transport alone."

His eyes narrowed. "It was already stated in the contract that we mustn't be seen in public together as it'll affect my reputation as the boss of this company as well as my marriage to Rize."

She groaned. "Ugh, I know. The contract is too strict, going as far as to still have the both of us call each other by our family name. Can we change that rule? I just find it odd for a wife and husband to be so...distant. Calling someone by their first name is always the first step to having a better relationship with one another. Besides, if I continue calling you Mr. Kaneki as usual, I'd feel like you're still my boss even at home and I don't want that."

Kaneki put a finger to his chin and pondered. What she said does make sense. We can't be calling each other 'Kaneki' or 'Kirishima' for the many weeks or months to come. "Alright, I'll change the rules tonight. You'll call me just Kaneki. How do you want me to address you?"

She grinned. "Just Touka."

\--

1am that morning...

Touka's eyes cracked open when the lights outside flickered on for the nth time since she moved into this house and she got up from her bed. Grabbing a cardigan, she flung it around her shoulders and walked out to the living room, where she saw her 'husband' sitting on the couch with a book in his hands. "You're not going to sleep?"

The male regarded her with a nod. "Can't sleep."

"May I ask the reason why?"

"..the bed feels empty without--" Kaneki stopped himself there and directed his gaze back to his book.

She plopped herself down beside him, leaving an acceptable amount of space between them on the couch. "I'll accompany you until you sleep then."

He's thankful that she has the decency in her not to probe any further. He really doesn't feel like talking about Rize right now. "You'll be tired at work tomorrow. Go to sleep. You'll be bored even if you stayed here."

"I'll just watch television then," Touka replied, grabbing the remote control and pressing the 'on' button. A small smile graced his lips. "Up to you. It's not my fault if you act like a zombie at work tomorrow."

She let out a grunt, her attention already taken by an interesting show about animals.

An hour passed, and Kaneki finally felt his eyes drooping--indicating that it was time for bed. He turned to her, wanting to tell her she could go to sleep now but she had already fallen asleep against the sofa. He found himself chuckling at the thought of her insisting that she would stay with him until he fell asleep but she's the one who fell asleep instead.

He pushed his black sleeves up and carried her body in his arms. He was surprised at how easily he did that, given that he didn't think she'd be this light. His body stiffened when she leaned her head against his chest with a murmur and he tried not to focus on how good she smelt. It could have been her shampoo or body lotion... Whatever it was, she smelt nice.

Shaking his head out of his thoughts, he brought her to her room and gently placed her down onto the bed before pulling the blankets over her. He settled down onto the soft mattress and watched as she slept so peacefully. His hand moved the stray hairs on her face to the side and he leaned down to press his lips to her forehead. "Thank you for staying with me." He whispered, before closing the door behind him.

Little did he know that Touka was half-awake and she couldn't stop the blush from forming on her cheeks. How could his personality be so cold yet gentle at the same time? For the life of her, she couldn't figure that out.

\--

"Kirishima! What's with this punctuation mistake? I've told you many times to check your damn work before passing it to the clients! I expect a perfect proposal!" Kaneki roared, slamming a file onto his personal assistant's table and startling every single person in the office.

Touka clicked her tongue in annoyance and grabbed the file to check the error. She stood up and glared at him. "Don't go all monster on me when you didn't check properly! I showed you this document and you're the one who gave the okay before I passed it to the client!"

He lowered his voice to normal volume. "..really?"

"Yes!"

"...sorry."

After Kaneki left to his office, Touka plopped herself back down onto her seat and her blonde co-worker—Hinami—giggled in amusement. "Why are you laughing, Hinami?"

"You guys seem quite close these days."

Her eyes widened. "Really? How is it different from before?"

"Last time you guys barely even talked and looked at one another, but now you two are openly arguing in the office. Just like a married couple." Hinami giggled again.

Touka's cheeks burned. "Don't joke about such a thing! He has a wife, you know!"

Despite her casual tone, she felt disappointment and envy in her. What is this? She's also his wife.

"I heard something about a wife." A voice came from behind them and they turned around to see a long purple haired lady standing behind them. She grinned. "Is there something wrong with my husband?"

"Beautiful..." Touka found herself murmuring and Hinami had to kick the older female's feet underneath the table to snap her out of her thoughts.

"Oh, don't worry! There's nothing wrong about Mr. Kaneki! We were just getting to our work!" Hinami chirped before turning back to her computer screen.

Touka shook her head and smiled. "A-ah, sorry. It's nothing. I just find you very beautiful."

A smile formed on her face. "Thank you. Would you mind guiding me to Mr. Kaneki's office," she stopped to glance at the 'personal assistant Kirishima Touka''s nameplate on her desk. "Miss Kirishima?"

"Yes, of course!" Touka jumped to her feet and quickly led her to her boss' room. She knocked on the door and opened it for the lady.

"Is there something you need, Kirishima?" Kaneki asked, eyes never leaving his documents as he continued signing them.

"Isn't it mean to be doing your work while I'm here?" The lady asked and his eyes shot up.

His lips trembled at the sight of his wife in his office. "Rize..."

As I thought, she is Mr. Kaneki's wife!

Rize walked towards him and threw her arms around his shoulders before giving him a kiss on the cheek. Touka can't help but feel that they're a match made in Heaven when she looks at them. A beautiful lady and a handsome guy. Unknowingly, her chest starts to burn with envy or jealousy—she doesn't know which, but it hurts.

"Oh, you can go now," Rize said and she bowed before leaving the room.

It was only for a split second but Kaneki could see the sadness in Touka's eyes when she left.


	8. Chapter 8

Ken found that Touka acted perfectly normal when he returned home that night and wondered if the sadness he saw before was just his imagination. Still, he decided to get it out in the open if it is true. "Touka, are you upset that I was with Rize until now?"

Said woman stopped whatever she was doing and looked into his eyes. "No, I'm not. Why?"

She's definitely upset. But if she doesn't want to talk about it, I won't probe any further. "Nothing."

"Oh right, can I have the day off on Friday? I have some important matters to attend to." Touka asked.

"It depends on what those matters are. I don't randomly give leave to employees." He replied, eyes never leaving his laptop.

"It's my family's death anniversary."

—

It's Friday, 2.45pm.

Kaneki glanced over to Touka's empty desk and frowned. He had checked his phone for the nth time that day and still received no text messages from her. He wondered what she was doing and if she was alright. As soon as he got off work, he gave her a call and she only answered after a few rings.

"Hello?"

"Hey, you alright? You haven't been replying my messages."

"Oh, sorry. I just finished paying my respects and settled some things. I'm alright." He could hear her sniffles and her hoarse voice over the phone. She had been crying.

"Where are you? I'll go pick you up."

"It's okay. I'll head back to the house by myself. Thank you for your concern."

"Touka—"

She hung up on him before he could continue and he decided to take a gamble that she's at her own house before heading there. He soon reached the door of her apartment and rung the doorbell. Footsteps were heard from behind the door and Touka opened it with wide eyes. "Why're you here? I said I'm okay and that I'll go back—"

"Just let me in first." Kaneki walked past her and closed the door behind him. His eyes narrowed at the redness under her blue eyes and he pressed his lips to a thin line. He doesn't know what is this feeling that's making his heart pain but he doesn't like seeing her like this. "You said you're fine but I can tell you've been crying."

She frowned. "Even so, this is none of your business. We're not related anyway—"

His nose flared and he grabbed her wrist, startling her. "I'm your husband, aren't I? I believe I deserve to know my wife's feelings and I have the right to worry about her."

"As I said, I'm fine—"

He released her wrist and moved to wrap his arms around her. "At least, let me lend you a shoulder to cry on. Even if we're not really married, I'm not that cruel to leave you crying by yourself."

Touka's eyes started to brim with tears once again and though she thought she couldn't cry any more than she already has, the tears continued to fall and she gripped the back of his jacket as she buried her face into his chest. "Why are you being so nice to me..."

The male let out a smile and touched her head. He hugged her tighter and his stroking of her head is extremely gentle, so much that it makes her want to cry more. He's being so caring tonight, that she wished that he'd be like this all the time. Holding her close to him, Kaneki slowly brought her to her bedroom and laid her down onto the bed before pulling the blankets above her. She gripped his sleeve and looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Stay."

His eyes widened. She was a strong woman and rarely showed her weaknesses to anyone. Tonight was one of the rare and the first time that he's seeing her so vulnerable and he can't help but feel happy that she's allowing him to see this side of her. He settled down onto the chair beside her bed and took her hand into his. "Stay, I shall."

His heart skipped a beat when her soft and small hands squeezed his.

"What I'm going to say now may not concern you but will you listen to me?"

He tried to give a smile. "Of course."

"It was 11 years ago when the accident happened. I was 13 then."

Her eyes wrinkled at the memory. The four of them, her father, her mother, her little brother and her, were on the way to the beach for their usual family outing on Saturdays. They were in their car, talking excitedly about what they were going to do and eat when they got there. Arata was going to try out their new flavored shaved ice, Hikari wanted to buy a new bikini at the shops, Ayato was looking forward to surfing and Touka couldn't wait to have their picnic together.

When the traffic light turned green, her father stepped on the accelerator and within a second, they were hit by a truck from the left. Her mother and brother died immediately, and her father was stuck in his seat and couldn't get out. The car was overturned and instead of helping himself, Arata told Touka to quickly undo her seatbelt and get out of the car.

With blood dripping down her forehead, Touka was so, so afraid and couldn't stop sobbing. "Papa, papa! Come with me!"

"I can't, darling. You have to go, now!" Arata shouted, his eyes widened as he saw the gasoline escape from beneath the car. As soon as Touka got her seatbelt off, her father pushed her quite a distance away and the car exploded, bursting in flames. "Papa!! Mama!! Ayato!!"

It was on that unfortunate day, that she was left alone forever.

—

Touka's eyes closed at the painful memory as her tears fell and she squeezed his hands. He squeezed hers in return to comfort her and used his thumb to wipe a falling tear away. Her blue eyes opened again and she smiled. "Thank you for listening to me."

His heart hurt when he saw her like this. His body moved before he could think, and he pressed his lips to her forehead. "You're not alone now. I'm with you. I'll be with you."

She smiled. He ran his fingers through her blue hair. "Now get some sleep. I'll be here."

Nodding, he watched her slowly close her eyes and soon, she fell asleep. He frowned, she must have been suffering all these years without anyone by her side. He can't help but want to continue to stay with her and support her in her ups and downs.


	9. Chapter 9

It was 9 pm by the time Touka awoke and her stomach growled. She got up and went to the living room where she saw hot food on the table. Kaneki walked out of the kitchen and gave a smile. "I just thought you'd be hungry soon and I hope you don't mind I cooked something."

"Have you eaten?" She asked as she settled down on a chair and he sat opposite her.

"I haven't. Was waiting for you."

"..thank you."

She took her chopsticks and clapped her hands. "Thank you for the food."

He watched her take a small piece of chicken and put it in her mouth. Tears brimmed in her eyes and he brought a tissue to dry her tears. She's eaten his food before together with him and she wondered why her tears wouldn't stop. Perhaps it's because the thought of having a warm meal with someone in her home after a long time made her emotional. For 11 years now, she has been eating alone at this dining table, with no one to accompany her. She's grateful that he's with her today, at least she won't be alone drowning in sadness on their death anniversary. "I'm sorry, I've been crying all day today. I'll stop."

Kaneki shook his head and got up to pull her to his chest. "I'm glad you're letting me stay here and help you. I know no one wants to be alone in these moments."

From the bottom of his heart, he hoped that whatever he was doing now would heal her broken heart. Even if it's just a little.

—

The morning sun filtered through the curtains and Kaneki cracked open his tired eyes. He looked down and smiled at the beautiful lady in his arms. His cheeks soon warmed at the remembrance of how he held Touka to sleep the previous night. Fingers moving to push her bangs away from her beautiful face, he gazed down at her. Her pink lips were tempting him. He still remembered how he had kissed her once because he had thought she was Rize, and twice because he wanted to feel her lips on his again.

He watched Touka furrow her eyebrows and slowly opened her eyes. She looked up at him with a smile, hair falling back to cover one side of her face. "Good morning."

Suddenly, the words his best friend—Hide—once told him came to his mind.

Get a girl who makes your heartbeat go fast with their morning face.

—

He made a mistake once with Rize, when he fell for her looks before realizing her true personality. He won't make the same mistake twice. Through this time he has spent with Touka, he's seen almost every side of her. Sadness, anger, embarrassment and happiness, and he found himself falling deeply in love with her. He can't help but want to spend more time with her and continue to see more parts of her.

But he won't confess nor make his feelings known to her since it didn't seem like she feels the same way about him. He will stay by her side and wait for her to fall in love with him.

\---

Ever since that day he was by her side during her toughest time, Touka couldn't look in Kaneki in the eye or stand to stay with him any more than a minute. At work, she's making herself scarce as soon as she passes him some documents or his coffee. At home, once he enters the same room as her or vice versa, she leaves the room as soon as possible.

You may ask why. The reason is that she feels embarrassed and awkward after showing her weakness to him. On top of crying in his chest, she even asked him to stay and sleep with her in her bed. She wished she could erase that memory from her mind forever. But when she thinks about it logically, she's thankful that he was there with her on that day.

Her family's death anniversary was the one day in the year that she definitely didn't want to spend alone. Although she knew that he was only doing it because he was her husband in the contract, having him by her side comforted her immensely and she was glad for that. Plus, he provided her the warmth and love she hadn't felt in a long time.

Which was obviously not the case for Kaneki.

He didn't do it because of his obligation to the honor the contract, but because he wanted to. Touka was very dedicated to fulfilling the rules stated in the contract and he decided to not bring it up. That may have been a bad decision.

—

When she avoided him for the umpteenth time for the week, Kaneki couldn't take it and cornered her one night. With arms on both sides of her, he pushed her against the wall and she looked up at him with wide eyes. "W-what are you doing?!"

"Touka. Tell me why you're avoiding me." His grey eyes stared straight into hers.

"It's nothing."

When his face came closer to hers, Touka's heart raced and she willed for herself to calm down. His eyes narrowed at her answer and he gazed down at the way she was biting her lower lip. They look so tempting and he wanted to taste her again. He stopped himself, this wasn't the right time.

"Don't lie." He growled.

"I'm not—"

"Did you dislike my company on that day so much?"

It was slight, but she could sense the sadness in his tone.

"T-that's not it. It's just..." She struggled to form the words and squeezed her eyes shut. "It was embarrassing, okay?! To show you—someone my weakness and vulnerability. It was a first for me!"

His eyes softened and he cupped her cheeks. "There's nothing embarrassing about that, Touka. Everyone has their own weaknesses, even me. I was..happy that I was able to help you. Just like you did for me."

"I helped you? What did I do?" She asked, puzzled.

Pink tinted his cheeks. "Do you have to make me say it? Do you remember the rules I stated in the contract? The meals you cook for me, those nights you stayed up with me and the company that you gave me. I wrote all of those rules because they are things I've craved for a long time because I was lonely. Just as you have saved me when I needed help, I will save you."

Her heart raced. That was the reason for the contract. He was lonely, just like her.

Kaneki gazed down at her, thumb moving to press against her soft lips. He wanted to kiss her so badly and wondered if she would push him away if he tried to. Stepping closer to her, he had his arms around her and leaned down in an attempt to kiss her. She clenched her hands into fists on his chest and closed her eyes.

His cell phone suddenly rang and he withdrew in frustration. He glared at the caller and picked it up with irritation. "What do you want, Rize? I'm busy." He snapped.

"You wouldn't be saying you're busy if I said I know there's something going on between you and your personal assistant. Meet me at our usual bar now."

His face paled when she hung up. Of all people to have found out about their relationship, it had to be Rize. This is the worst. He needed to go see her and convince her not to tell anyone about it.

"I'm sorry. I need to go."

Touka grabbed his arm and looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Can't you stay?"

He shot her an apologetic glance. "Sorry."

—

Touka was overcome with sadness when she saw him step out of the door as soon as he received that call and she clenched her shirt in her hands. She didn't think she'd really be this upset.


	10. Chapter 10

Kaneki quickly sat down in front of Rize at their usual table and glared at her. He kept his voice low and leaned towards her. "How did you find out about us?"

Rize took out some photos from his bag and threw them onto the table. "How's this?"

His eyes widened at the pictures that were taken of them from their home, and their kisses and hugs. He was furious. "You got someone to investigate me?! This is an invasion of privacy, Rize! We made it very clear not to interfere in each other's lives when we decided to live separately!"

"Don't be so angry. I knew something was up the moment I saw that girl being upset when I kissed you in your office. I merely hired someone to check up on you because I was worried and I wasn't surprised." Rize grinned.

"What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing. If you don't want these photos to go public, just follow whatever I tell you to do. If I want you to come, you come to me. If I want to buy something, you get it for me. Nothing much."

Kaneki gritted his teeth. He knew Rize would definitely keep to her words and make those photos known to the entire world if he didn't adhere to her conditions. At this point, he didn't care about his reputation. He just didn't want to ruin Touka's life and make her known as the 'mistress' forever. "Fine."

She smirked. "Hm, for now, let's have some dinner. I'm hungry."

—

Kaneki doesn't return for dinner that night, and Touka waited until 10 pm for him to come home. She heard the door unlock and quickly went out to the living room to see him walking in. "You're back."

He saw the same sadness she had that time he saw him and Rize together when their eyes met. Every bit of anger and resentment he had towards his wife dissipated the moment he enveloped her in his arms. "I'm home."

She hesitantly returned the hug, hands clinging onto his back. "Mm. Welcome home. Do you want to eat something? Or do you need the bath?"

He can tell that she's trying to avoid asking him what happened with Rize and he doesn't want that to destroy how close they've become over the past few days. He cupped her cheeks and captured her lips. "Nothing happened between me and Rize tonight. Are you upset?"

Touka turned her head and averted his gaze. "No."

"Look at me in the eye and say it, Touka."

She pushed away from him and turned her back to him. Remaining stubborn, she pouted and folded her arms. "I am not."

The male wrapped his arms around her from behind and whispered, "I think you are."

She tore herself away from his hug and spun around to face him. His eyes widened when he saw tears drop down her cheeks and she shouted, "You're persistent! I told you that I am not upset!"

He brought his fingers to wipe away the endless tears that fell from her beautiful eyes and frowned. "Then why are you crying?"

Touka herself was surprised that she's actually crying. She always thought that it was no big deal because Rize was his main wife and she was just...a contract wife. All of his priorities should go to Rize, not her. But seeing him actually do that made her heart break into a thousand pieces. She was jealous, she was upset, she didn't want him to go. She was in love with him and it wasn't supposed to be this way.

She accepted this contract because she was able to give him the things he needed and there were also benefits in it for her. They would eventually separate and both parties had nothing to lose. But now, she found herself never wanting to leave him or this contract even if he didn't want to be with her anymore.

"Something just got into my eyes, dammit!" She hissed, still not being fully honest to him.

Kaneki grabbed her wrist and pushed her against the wall. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. She jammed her fists onto his chest continuously but he doesn't withdraw, and her heart continued to race. The moment he released her, she shoved him aside and stared down to the floor. "Stop, please stop before I—I fall deeper in love with you!"

"Is that a bad thing?" He asked and she raised her head to meet his gaze.

"Of course it is! You're married to someone else and this is only a contract—"

This time, the lips she felt on hers was more gentle than before and she had to hold her breath when his arms encircled her waist. He withdrew and leaned his forehead against hers. His breath is hot on her burning face. "What if I told you that I was falling for you too?"

"..that wouldn't happen."

Screw waiting for her to fall in love with him. He will do it himself.

"Then I'll prove it."

"How are you going to prove it—" Touka squealed in surprise when he carried her in his arms and made his way to his bedroom before dropping her down onto his bed. He tossed his tie on the ground and moved to unbutton his shirt. Crawling atop her, he molded their lips together once again and she felt his hands slowly undoing the buttons of her shirt.

He pulled back for a moment before going to kiss down the delicate sides of her neck and her body arched when he sucked on a sensitive spot. She panted heavily and she met his hard gaze. "I assume you're okay with this if you're not going to stop me, Touka."

"I-I don't know—" She gasped and moaned when he slowly pressed kisses from her neck down to her collarbones. She knew that she wanted this, but she also knew that she couldn't do this with him.

Hesitantly, her shaking hands pushed him back and he looked at her, puzzled. "Why are you stopping me?"

"W-we can't do this. Y-you have a wife..." Her body trembled, she could still the heat of his lips on her skin.

"You're my wife too."

"I'm a fake wife..."

Kaneki brought her hand to his cheek and frowned. "Putting Rize and the contract aside, as a woman, Touka, do you want me?"

Her voice wavered. "I..."

"Please tell me that you want me as much as I want you, Touka."

She was supposed to tell him no, but when she met his eyes, every determination she had gone down the drain. "Yes, I want you, Kaneki. I want you so much."

He smiled and embraced her. "Thank you."

Touka knew that she wouldn't forget how gentle and caring he was to her when they made love that night and she found herself falling more in love with him.

\- Next morning -

Kaneki yawned as he turned to lay on his back and smiled when he saw Touka flip to the other side, as if avoiding him. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her naked body. Pressing a kiss to her shoulder blades, he felt the soft skin of her waist underneath his fingers and buried his face into her hair. "Good morning."

"..morning," Touka mumbled, cheeks burning. She still remembered how they made love last night and how good she felt.

"Won't you at least let me see your face?"

Turning around to face him, she felt his hands push her bangs to the side as he gazed down at her with a smile. "That's better."

The blush on her cheeks deepened. She can't help but be embarrassed by his tender and gentle actions towards her. It wasn't something that she was used to. "We're not going to work today?"

"Mm. I told one of my employees that we'd be out the whole day for a meeting with the clients."

"So mean."

He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her. "Is it wrong for wanting to spend more time with you?"

She rested her head against his chest. "..no."

Only the sound of rustling of the blankets filled the room as he pulled her closer to him and smiled against her head. Drawing circles on his bare chest, a thought came to her mind."So...What are we now? Are we still going to continue this contract?"

"Of course. But I'll have to amend one of the rules in the contract. I'll allow us to fall in love with each other."

Touka raised her head and he could see the worry in her eyes. "What if we had to go our own separate ways one day? Isn't amending that rule going to make it more painful?"

"Then I'll make sure we don't do that. We'll stay together for as long as I want to."

She hit his chest but found herself grinning. "Pretty words."

"I only speak the truth. Now, what do you say we take a bath?"


	11. Chapter 11

Embarrassment took over her and Touka felt her cheeks burn. "W-why together?!"

"Well since we've already seen each other's naked bodies, I thought it would be okay for us to spend some naked time together in the bath." He found himself chuckling when her blush went deeper and he carried her in his arms princess-style. With her struggling to get down, he quickly made his way to the bathroom and placed her down.

In an attempt to stop her from leaving, he cornered her against the wall, arms on both sides of her. "You're not going anywhere," he said, a sly grin hanging from his lips.

Touka's face turned pale as his face seemed to come closer and close to her and she squeezed her eyes shut in fear. She then heard a sigh and felt him pull back from her. She slowly opened her eyes to a frowning Ken. "I just wanted to spend some time with you but if you really don't want to, I understand. I won't force you."

Her lips trembled at his statement. She can already feel herself giving in to his request. "I-if you put it that way, I can't reject, can I?"

A smile returned to his face.

—

They ended up sitting in the bathtub with him behind her. Her heart raced when his arms wrapped around her to pull her back against him. His lips found the crown of her head and rested there. "Listen... That morning when I scolded you about the document... I'm sorry."

"Darn right you're sorry. You were the one who didn't check the freaking document and blamed it on me."

He chuckled. "I'm sorry about that. I'm a perfectionist so I expect everything to be the best. Although you're my wife, you're still no exception to that. But I'm sorry."

"Mm. It's good that you're sorry." She then stopped smiling and her tone turned serious. "What happened with Rize? I want to know."

"..nothing. We had dinner."

"It had to be important for you to rush out on me like that. It can't be just dinner."

"..can I tell you at a later time?"

Touka paused, albeit a little upset. "Fine. I trust you."

He hugged her closer and pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. "Thank you. Say, what do you think of going out for dinner? It must be boring to always have a home date."

"I thought someone specified in the contract that we can't have dates outside?"

"Yes but I thought it would be good once in a while. When is your birthday? We can go out then."

"It's July 1st."

Kaneki held out his pinky finger. "That's in 1 month. I'll bring you out for dinner that night after work. It's a promise."

She snorted at his pinky and hooked hers on his. He then placed his hand atop hers and intertwined their fingers together. "By the way, I have one more thing to say and I want you to start calling me by my first name when we're at home. Y-You don't have to start now, just whenever you're ready--"

Touka turned around to face him and she cupped his cheeks. "Ken."

Tears brimmed in his eyes and he grinned.

Ever since they got together formally as a couple, Touka has been seeing different sides of Ken. At work, he's like a work monster. He expects everything to be done punctually and with perfection. He scolds when something is done wrong or not according to his way and has a habit of kicking his chair when he's frustrated.

But when he's at home with her, he turns into a complete softie. He clings to her whenever he has a chance to, showers her with kisses and hugs and treats her as if she's the most beautiful and delicate thing in the entire world. He smiles more often when he's with her and her heart also skips a beat when he does that because he's one thousand times more handsome when he smiles. He craves a lot of physical contact with her and likes to ask for good morning kisses, hugs or even to make love.

—

The more time Kaneki spent with Touka, the more he realizes that she's a great woman. She's good at her work, house chores, cooking and entertaining him, of course. He loves when she pays her full attention when he talks to her, loves how she's sometimes playful and sometimes cruel, loves how she always does things with his best interests at heart, and most of all, he loves her kisses because they convey to him how much she loves him. With her, he feels treasured, wanted and not alone.

For the first time in forever, he's having fun and is slowly learning to trust again.

—

Kaneki checked his credit card bills at the end of the month and frowned. "Touka, why aren't you using the credit card I gave you? The contract stated that you can use it to buy whatever you like."

Touka shrugged as she wrapped her arms around him from behind. "I don't have anything I really need right now. I'll buy when my items spoil."

"You can buy shoes, bags, clothes and anything you want really. I don't want to make it feel like you're giving me everything and I'm not giving you anything in return." He continued to frown and she kissed his cheek.

"What are you talking about? You are giving me everything I need. A place to come back to and your love. I don't think I'll ever need anything else."

His cheeks warmed as he turned around and hugged her tightly. He still wasn't convinced fully but he would wait until she wanted something and buy it for her.

—

A few nights later, just as he pretended to fall asleep, Kaneki saw her looking at a particular necklace on her phone at night. She stared at it for the longest time before sighing and turned her phone off so she could sleep. He decided he'd get it for her, no matter the price.

—

A few days later..

"Ken! Have you seen my comb? I put it here this morning!" Touka called.

"Do you mean this?" Kaneki asked, a shining silver necklace in his hands.

"I said comb, not a—" She stopped, eyes narrowing at the familiar necklace. "Isn't this the necklace I saw last week online? How did you know I wanted it?!"

"I saw you looking at it that night. Do you like it?"

"Of course I do! But I can't accept it, it's too expensive!"

He shook his head and moved behind her to help her put it on. "Nothing is too expensive for you," he said and brought her to stand in front of a mirror. "You look beautiful."

Touka's eyes glistened when she looked at the diamond necklace that laid on her neck. She touched it and held it tightly in her hand. "Thank you. I love it."

"How about thanking me with a kiss? I would appreciate that more than words."

She heaved a defeated sigh and turned back to wrap her arms around his neck and stand on her toes to kiss him. His arms encircled her waist, fingers going under her shirt to rest on the soft skin of her waist. They separated and she thrust her fingers into his jet black hair. "Oh, I know that look you're giving me, Ken. Don't think I don't know what you want. You're asking me to go to bed with you, aren't you?"

Kaneki grinned. "Without any clothes, I hope."

A smile graced her lips as she sighed and pulled back to let him undress her. Honestly, she doesn't mind making love with him a few times a week, because she loves how he makes her feel wanted in his embraces and kisses. From the gentle caresses he gives her, she can tell how deep his feelings are for her.


	12. Chapter 12

"Oh my gosh! That's a beautiful necklace, Touka-San!" Hinami gushed, staring at the diamond necklace that laid on her co-worker's neck. "Did you get it from your boyfriend?"

Touka's cheeks turned pink. "T-thank you and how did you know I have a boyfriend?"

"You've been putting on more makeup these days and looking happier than before. That's what a girl with a boyfriend looks like." Hinami giggled.

"R-really..?"

"Tou—" Kaneki cleared his throat. "Kirishima. In my office now."

"Yes, sir."

—

"What?" She asked.

After making sure that the blinds were closed and shielded them from everyone else, Kaneki took her hand into his and laced his fingers with hers. "Nothing. Just wanted to hold hands with my wife."

Touka seemed appalled at his behavior and pulled her hand away from his. "Ken! We're at work!"

"A little office romance wouldn't hurt. As your boss, I order you to hold hands with me now." He demanded and she rolled her eyes.

"Abusing your authority at a time like this. Seriously?"

A smile formed on his lips. "Yes."

She groaned. "Fine."

The female reached for his hand but he grabbed her wrist, pulled her to him and they fell back against his chair—with Touka leaning on his chest. "Ken!" She pouted.

"Now I want a hug."

"Jesus. I swear you're such a clingy ass." Despite complaining, Touka had a smile on her face and wrapped her arms around his neck whilst she sat on his lap.

They stared at each other for a few seconds and moved to join lips. His hands smoothed down her sides to rest on her waist, while she pulled on his black strands as her hands tangled in them. The couple separated hesitantly and gazed at each other as they panted from the fiery kiss they just had.

Kaneki's eyes crinkled when he laid eyes on the necklace he gifted her earlier. "You're wearing it."

"I couldn't leave such a beautiful and expensive gift at home, can I?" She breathed, fingers playing with his black hair.

"I'm happy that you're wearing it."

She smiled.

"Hey, let's kiss once more." He whispered and Touka giggled.

"I swear you're so greedy for affection, Ken."

"And I love how you call me by my first name." Kaneki smiled, nuzzling into her neck and inhaling her sweet scent. "Come on, just one more kiss."

"Jeez, okay. Just one more."

Just as she's about to lean in, a knock came on the door and he sighed—but not so loudly.

"Mr. Kaneki, I have some documents I would like you to look over."

"Could you give me 5 minutes?" He called.

Whoever it was outside the office answered yes and went back to their desk.

Kaneki ran his hand through his black hair and heaved a sigh. "It's back to work, I guess. But not before a kiss." He stood up, pushed his laptop to the side before settling Touka onto his table. Standing in between her legs, he placed his hands on both sides of her body and leaned forward to capture her lips for the last time.

Her arms wrapped around his neck to pull him closer and she could feel his smile on her lips. They separated hesitantly and Touka shoved his chest to make way for her to stand up. "Okay, you got your kiss, now get back to work."

He hugged her from behind and whispered into her ear. "Now I really don't want to." He breathed, sending shivers down her spine as he caressed her thigh.

Touka took a deep breath and exhaled to distract herself from his hand that was slowly going up her skirt. "I'll entertain you all you want at home, okay?"

With that, he released her with a satisfied smile. "I'll hold you to that promise."

\---

"About the date I mentioned earlier, I booked a restaurant for us already," Kaneki said, hand caressing the soft skin of her waist as the couple laid in bed.

"You're a fast worker, aren't you? What's the name of the restaurant?" Touka smiled, pinching his cheek playfully before resting her hand on his chest.

A grin formed on his lips. "I won't tell you anything else. It's a surprise. You just need to come home straight after work."

Though puzzled, she nodded in agreement.

—

On July 1st, Touka returned home as promised and found 4 items on her bed. A blue halter neck long dress, a black clutch, black heels, and a letter. She picked up a letter and started to read it.

'Wear these items and get ready by 8 pm. I'll have a driver bring you to the restaurant. I look forward to seeing you there. Kaneki Ken.'

Touka bit her inner mouth in an attempt to hide her excitement as a smile comes up and she quickly put on all of the items he provided her. After putting on some simple makeup, she stood in front of the mirror and couldn't believe that it was actually her. She looked so different from her usual appearance, now that she's wearing expensive items—judging from the fabric and material. It was her first time wearing so many branded items and she has got to thank him for giving her the opportunity to do so in this life.

Soon, the chauffeur was at the door to pick up and send her to the restaurant.

—

Kaneki was already at the restaurant and had booked a window table where they would enjoy a bird's eye view of the city below while they ate and chatted. He stared down at his watch, slowly looking at the seconds that pass by and patiently waited for her to arrive. His legs started to shake in anticipation and he couldn't wait to see her.

He had already planned out this date. They would first have their meal, chat while they ate and after they were done, he would bring her to the rooftop and pass her the birthday present he bought. It was the perfect plan.

His phone rang and he clicked his tongue in irritation when he saw the contact name.

"What is it, Rize? I'm busy."

"I have some clients who you need to meet with. They want to talk about a 10 million dollar deal and hopes to close it by tonight. Come over."

He gritted his teeth. 10 million was a lot of money for a business deal but he wouldn't abandon Touka to do that. "Can't it be another time? As I mentioned, I'm busy."

"They're going back to China after tonight and wants to see you now. If you can't come, I guess I can just leak the photos to the public?" She laughed.

Squeezing his hand into a fist, he breathed out and willed himself to not lose his shit at her. "Are you doing this on purpose? You know that today is Touka's birthday."

He heard laughter over the phone. "Would you be happier if I said I did? I purposely scheduled them to meet you tonight because I knew you would definitely arrange something for that woman's birthday. What are you going to do about it? Will you stay with her and risk your relationship getting found out or will you abandon her to save her? Either way, she won't be happy."

He bit his lower lip. He really wanted to punch this woman right now. "How long will the deal take?"

"Oh, 30 minutes or so. They're quite eager to finish this deal fast."

"Fine. I'll be there. Send me the address."

He would finish this as soon as he could and return to Touka.


	13. Chapter 13

After hanging up the call, he sent a text to Touka saying that he had to attend to something and will be back soon. He apologized for letting work interfere with this day and that she could eat first if she was hungry. She was a little upset because even though he's the one who promised her a date today, he's also the one who's busy with work. But she couldn't get angry at him, not when he prepared so many nice things for her and reserved a place at one of the most expensive restaurants in Tokyo.

So she arrived there and waited at the table. After 30 minutes, she sent him a text asking where he was. He replied, saying that the deal will end soon. After another 30 minutes, she asked again and he didn't reply.

—

"What do you think you're doing, taking my phone away?" Kaneki hissed after he brought his wife away from the table to talk to her at the hallway. "I need to update Touka on when I'm finishing."

"Isn't it rude for you to keep fiddling with your phone while you're with the client? It's common courtesy to put it away."

"I know that! But she's waiting for me alone. You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Rize giggled. "Of course I am."

—

It's been 2 hours since Touka last received a text from Ken and it was already 10 pm. She's already eaten her main course and dessert but he's still not here. With a glass of wine in her hand, she sipped it slowly whilst looking out the window at the city. A waiter came up to her and she turned to him. "Miss, we're closing in 30 minutes. We would like you to vacate this place soon. Thank you for your understanding."

She frowned and stood up. There was no point in continuing to wait for someone who wouldn't reply to her texts or look like he would show up. So she headed home, leaving the tab on Kaneki.

—

As soon as the deal finished at 11 pm, Kaneki quickly rushed over to the same restaurant and found no one there. He asked the waiter where his date went and he told him that she already left an hour ago. Taking his phone out, he dialed Touka but she didn't answer. He sent many text messages asking where she went but she doesn't reply either.

He cursed and ran his hand into his hair. This was all Rize's fault and it was also his, for failing to keep their relationship a secret and letting his wife threaten him with it.

—

He returned home, hoping to find Touka there and he did—to his relief. She was in the living room, arms folded across her chest and had an angry expression on her face. He stepped forward, wanting to hold her in his arms but she avoided his hug. "Don't you have anything to say after making me wait there alone for 2 hours on my birthday, Ken?"

"I-I'm so sorry," Kaneki answered, eyes staring at the floor. "I tried to contact you but Rize had my phone—"

Her nose flared when she heard that he was with Rize but she tried to keep calm. "That's not what I'm angry about. Yes, I understand that you're busy with work but I just..was hoping you'd put all of that away on my birthday. Do you know how I felt when I was waiting for you? Everyone in that restaurant was looking at me like they pitied me. Like my date stood up on me. I'm disappointed."

"H-how can I make it up to you?" He asked, eyes flickering up to meet hers.

Touka sighed and put down her arms. "I don't know. Just..leave me alone. I need to think by myself."

"..I'm sorry—"

"Save it."

From that day onwards, they slept separately and each time Ken would try to talk to her, Touka would avoid him. When he comes to the dining table to eat, she leaves the table. When he enters a room, she leaves the room. When he calls her at work, she pretends not to hear him the first time. It was even starting to affect his health, as he barely slept a wink at night and would always go to work looking so haggard. 

Seeing Rize cheat on him was one thing, but having his existence completely denied by Touka made his heart break into a thousand pieces. He couldn't stand not talking to her, hugging her and kissing her. He was miserable without her.

—

It's not like he was the only one suffering, Touka was too. Seeing the heartbroken expression on his face every time she ignored him hurt her heart. She knew how painful it was for him to not be acknowledged by someone he loved but she needed him to know how hurt she felt when she was waiting for him. She didn't want to forgive him so easily, so he wouldn't do the same thing again.

—

For the nth time that week, Kaneki couldn't take it. He would do anything to make it up to her, if it would stop her from continuing to pretend that he didn't exist. He would even go down on his knees and apologize, if that was what it took.

"Touka, I'll do anything to make you forgive me. So please..talk to me." Kaneki pleaded, eyes searching hers for any reaction.

She sighed and turned to him. "Do you know why I'm doing this?" 

"You want me to know how you felt."

"Yes. Do you understand now?"

He nodded. This whole week has been excruciatingly painful with her ignoring him. "I'm sorry."

Touka heaved a sigh. "Come here."

The moment he moved closer to her, she slapped him across the face and his eyes widened. She let out a huge breath and smiled. "Ahh, I feel so much better!"

Kaneki winced at the throbbing of his cheek and held a hand to it. "Am I forgiven?"

She put a finger to her lips as she pondered over his question and he could only stare at her while she came up with an answer. The silence was making him uncomfortable. "Touka--"

"I will forgive you only if you bring me on another date without any interruptions. How about it?"

A chance to redeem himself! "O-of course!"


	14. Chapter 14

The date this time went perfectly. When they were done with dinner, Kaneki brought Touka up to the highest floor of the building--which was a rooftop bar and gave her the present that he's been holding onto. A diamond ring. 

"This ring is my promise that I'll take care of you forever, even if we're old and wrinkly." He said as he slid it onto her right hand's fourth finger and held in his breath when he saw a tear fall down her cheek. 

He caressed her face with a frown. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head and smiled as more tears fell down. "I'm just..happy. But we can't get married, can we? Since you already are to someone else."

His hands encircled her waist and he leaned his forehead against hers. "I will do whatever I can to make our marriage happen. Just trust me and wait."

\--

They went back to their normal routine the next day, maintaining their boss-employee relationship while having their trysts in the office after everyone was gone. They became closer now, with Kaneki actively making efforts in finding evidence to demand a divorce from Rize. Thinking back, he should have done this earlier even if their parents wanted their marriage only for business advantages. As bad as it sounds, he should have prioritized his happiness over his parents'. It was his life, not his parents'.

\--

While laying in bed one night, Kaneki turned to the side and rested a hand over his wife's waist. He gazed down at her quietly and Touka squeezed his nose playfully--earning a groan from him. "What is it? I know you're thinking about something whenever you look at me like that."

He scooted closer to her and enveloped her in his arms. "I was just thinking if you would want a child after we get married and what their name would be..."

She started to draw circles on his chest. "Isn't it too early to be thinking of having a child? We're not even married yet." 

"We will soon be. So what do you say about a child? Do you want one?"

"Hmm. I don't know. When we settle down comfortably, I would want one. But not now. For the names... I can't think of any. I'm bad at names. You decide."

"If it's a boy, Kou. If it's a girl, Ichika."

Chatting about baby names with someone she loved warmed Touka's heart and she couldn't help but truly feel that they would get married. Once they got married, they would no longer need to hide their relationship from the public. They'll be able to go on more dates and show affection for one another without being afraid of someone finding out about them. 

\--

Having spent so much time with one another, they let down their guard at work. Some employees have noticed how close they've become; such as them calling one another casually or chatting casually. One worker even saw them entering the office together and rumors soon starting flying around in the building about how they might be having an affair or how Touka is stealing Kaneki away from Rize. These rumors caught the ears of a certain powerful man and he has decided to take action.

\--

"Ken. Do you know why I have asked you to come to my house today?" The grey-haired male asked, eyes locking onto his son's grey ones.

Kaneki cleared his throat. "No, I do not."

"There have been some rumors about you and your personal assistant, you see. About how the two of you might be dating. What do you have to say about that?"

His breath hitched in his throat as he thought back to the countless times he's caught his employees talking in low voices in the pantry and hurriedly shutting their mouths whenever he walked by. Even the employees know about them. He cursed internally for not being careful enough. 

"I wonder what you're talking about, father. There's nothing happening between us. They're just rumors, as you have mentioned."

"Personally, I don't care who or what you're doing outside of your work but if it starts to affect the company's reputation, I will take action. Is that understood, son?"

I don't feel a tiny bit of the love even when you call me your son.

"Yes, father."

Touka's ears perked up when she heard the front door close and headed out to the living room to receive her husband. "Hey, you're back. Do you want to have a bath first or a meal?" She asked with a smile.

All of the fatigue Kaneki had dissipated immediately after his eyes met her warm ones and he stepped forward to envelop her in his arms. He sighed, body leaning against hers and buried his face into her lavender-scented hair. "Sorry, I need a recharge. Give me a few seconds."

She sighed through her nose as she smiled and held onto his back. "I'll give you all the time you need."

Having her soft body against his calmed him immensely and he found himself pressing his lips to hers. Though taken aback by his sudden action, Touka slowly eased into the kiss and wrapped her hands around his neck to pull him close. After a brief kiss, he separated from her, albeit hesitantly, and smiled. "I would like to have my meal first, my wife."

\--

They had their meal quietly at the dining table while Touka watched her husband suspiciously. After having been with him for almost 6 months now, she could roughly tell the difference between his usual poker face and his true feelings underneath. Right now, she could tell that he was slightly upset--from the way his eyebrows furrowed whenever he was deep in thought. 

"Did something happen?"

A simple question caught him off guard as his eyes widened and he stopped chewing his food. He remained silent, continued eating and swallowed. "How did you know?"

"I'm your wife, Ken. It'd be even weirder if I couldn't tell how you're feeling. So what's up? Is it because you're having troubles with finding evidence of your wife's cheating? Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, putting her bowl and chopsticks down.

He shook his head. "That's not it. It's just...I've been too careless lately. My father seems to know something is up with us."

Touka inhaled a deep breath. "What should we do?"

"Thankfully he doesn't have any evidence yet so I was just thinking we should stop interacting with one another in the office for now. Like stop chatting or calling each other casually. At least until he drops his suspicions."

"Oh. Sure. We can do that."

He placed his hand atop hers and stared into her eyes. She could see the apologetic look in those grey eyes of his. "I'm really sorry for all of this. I should have been more alert."

Touka flipped her hand over to the other side so she could intertwine their fingers and gave a small smile. "Listen, you've been saying that it's all your fault for everything but it really isn't. We're in this together, remember? As long as I'm by your side, I will shoulder your burdens with you. We will get through this. If you have any problems, I want you to talk about them to me. It's also partially my fault for letting down my guard. I'll be more careful next time."

Her words never fail to make him feel better. Kaneki squeezed her hand and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Thank you, Touka."


	15. Chapter 15

As soon as Touka got home, she dashed towards the bathroom and bent down in front of the toilet bowl. Her chest heaved, hands clenching the bowl as she emptied the contents of her stomach and a shaking hand reached up to press the flush button. She stood up slowly and braced her hands on the sink. 

Glancing down at her watch, she cursed and quickly grabbed the toothbrush. Kaneki will be home soon, she needs to get herself looking well before he returned. He's been very tired these days and the last thing she wanted to do was worry him.

\--

"I'm home!" Kaneki announced as he removed his shoes and socks quietly. 

Walking out to the living room, Touka leaned against the wall to steady herself and smiled. "Welcome back."

His eyes narrowed. Maybe it was too dark that he couldn't see well, so he moved closer to her and cupped her cheeks. "Hey... you okay? You look pale."

She reached to wrap her arms around his neck to pull him close. "I'm fine. Do you want a meal or--" Her eyes widened as a rush came up her throat and she ran to the bathroom once again.

"Touka?!"

He followed after her and found her hugging the toilet bowl as she vomited into it. He rushed to her side, kneeling down beside her and held her hair back. Rubbing gentle circles on her back, he peered into her pale face and frowned. "Hey, you're not feeling well. Do you need anything? Water?"

She gestured for him to flush and he did as instructed. He held onto her as she stood up and she leaned against her chest. "I'm okay.."

The devil she was.

Kaneki whisked her up in his arms, despite her protests that she was okay, placed her down onto the bed and pulled the blankets over her. He felt her forehead--which was slightly warm and put a cold towel over it. "Stay here, I'll go cook something for you to eat."

Knowing that he'll never listen to her when he gets like this, Touka nodded and slowly closed her eyes. The male made his way to the kitchen once he made sure that she was asleep and started preparing for porridge. His cellphone rang halfway during the washing of the rice and he cursed as he picked it up. "What is it, Rize? I'm busy."

"Come have dinner with me. I'm bored~"

Screw her. He prioritized Touka's health over everything else.

"As I mentioned, I'm really busy and I don't have time to have meals with you. Bye."

\--

Entering the bedroom with the hot porridge he made, Kaneki settled it down onto the bedside table and gently shook his wife to wake her up. Her eyes cracked open and squinted a little at the bright light. 

"I made you something. Can you eat?"

She nodded and he helped her lay against the headboard. He fed her spoon by spoon, blowing each of them carefully to make sure she didn't scald herself. She managed to finish half of it before she says she couldn't and he acknowledged it--putting the bowl away. 

"Take a day off tomorrow. I'll go to the clinic or hospital with you."

Touka shook her head and squeezed his hand. "It's alright. I can go by myself. It'd be weird if the boss and personal assistant were to be absent together, right?"

He cursed internally as he recalled their conversation the previous night about being more careful. "Alright. If anything happens, call me and I'll go to you. Okay?"

"Mmm. Thank you."

\--

The next day, Touka went to the hospital. They ran her through a series of tests and passed her an envelope of the test results. As she exited the doctor's room while holding the envelope, Rize spotted her and narrowed her eyes. Why was she at the hospital? She popped by the room Touka had just exited and grinned when she saw one of her ex-boyfriend (a doctor) sitting inside. "Hello, Kimura. Can I ask what the lady who just left was here for?"

\--

Dazed, Touka plopped down onto the sofa and stared at the envelope she held. She was a month's pregnant. She should have known when she didn't get her period for a month but she didn't want to overthink it. But they have always been so careful, always using protection whenever they did it so she wondered about a time where they didn't.

Her eyes widened when she realized it was on the day of their date. After he brought her up to the rooftop, they drank a little and ended up doing it at a hotel. They were intoxicated and he didn't bring protection. That was the only time that she could think of.

When she first got the results at the hospital, she didn't know what to feel. Now that she was back home and the truth has finally sunk in, her heart warmed as she placed her hand over her stomach. She was pregnant. With Ken's child. Happiness filled her and she smiled.

She couldn't help but feel excited to see his reaction. Would it be a shocked one or a happy one? Either way, it wouldn't be good to tell him about this now since they haven't married yet, so she decided to keep it secret until they were.

—

A certain envelope reached the doors of Mr. Kaneki Yuichirou, to which he was not pleasantly surprised by the contents.

—

The moment Kaneki got home, he quickly found his wife in the bedroom who was reading a book. He settled down on the bed and caressed her cheek. "Hey, so did you go to the hospital? How was it?"

"Mm. I did. It was nothing much. I'm just tired and not eating well. The doctor told me to eat more healthy food."

He sighed in relief and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "That's good to hear. I'll do the cooking for the next few days, at least until you're feeling much better. I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."

Touka grinned and pulled him down for a kiss. If this is how caring he's gonna be before he knows that she's with child, she wondered how much more caring he would be when he finds out about the pregnancy. "Okay, Mr. Protective."

—

At night, Touka received a message from an unknown number. It said:

This is Kaneki Yuichirou. Come to this address at 8 pm tomorrow night. We need to talk.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note to my wattpad readers: this chapter is slightly different from wattpad version. But it will not change the rest of the plot I have already written.

Happiness is fleeting.

\--

Doing as she was told, Touka reported to the exact address she was given the following night. She knocked on the door and waited for a few seconds before it was opened by a grey-haired male, who looked like he was in his 60s. He allowed her inside, to which they settled down onto 2 sofas opposite one another. A grey-haired female placed cups of tea on the coffee table in between the sofas before sitting down on Mr. Kaneki's side of the sofa.

Judging by their wedding rings on both of their fingers, Touka assumed that they were man and wife.

"So um why am I here today?" She asked.

To answer her question, the male brought out a brown envelope and emptied the contents on the table. Pictures of Ken and her scattered all over the table, as well as a doctor's report of her pregnancy. She gasped when she saw them and tried to keep calm. Mr. Kaneki cleared his throat and stared straight into her eyes. "I see you've been dating my son and you're with his child."

"..yes."

"Did he not inform you the words I told him?"

"He did."

"Then it's easier to explain. Now that there is evidence of the two of you, I have to take action. Our utmost priority is to ensure that whoever sent these pictures will not expose them to the public, destroying our reputation and our company's. I would like to propose something to you."

She raised a brow. "What would that be?"

Mr. Kaneki slid a smaller brown envelope on the table towards her and clasped his hands together. "We are not cruel people. We will not ask you to abort the child, but you will need to take this money and leave our son alone."

"What? You want to send me away with money? I am not going out with your son because of yours or his money, but because we are in love."

"He is married. This is an affair you're talking about. Having you in a relationship with him will jeopardize the company's—"

She laughed bitterly. "Now I can see why he dislikes his parents. First, you force him into a contract and loveless marriage. Secondly, you control his life. Now you're trying to ruin his life by taking me away from him. What else are you capable of doing to make him hate you even more?"

His gaze hardened at her. "Kirishima-San, I hope you know that we are capable of firing you and making you unable to ever get another job again in every other company but we do not want to resort to such means. You will take this money and leave this city. Start a new life somewhere else and we will leave you alone."

"What if I say no?"

"You do not want an answer to that question, Miss Kirishima. You are a smart woman, we don't need to remind you that if any word of this goes to Ken, you know what will happen."

\--

"Hey, you're back," Kaneki said, moving to kiss the top of her head with a smile. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, I was with a friend. We haven't met in months." Touka answered, placing her sling bag away and plopping down onto the bed. He followed after her, laying down beside her on the bed.

"Mm, did you have fun?"

"..Yeah." 

She didn't have to think. She decided to screw it because she was sure as hell that she wouldn't leave Ken. He needed her, and she needed him. They were in love and nothing could stop them from being together.

\--

A week has passed since then and Touka continued with her life as usual. After getting down from the bus, she started walking along a pavement towards the apartment that they shared. It was late, with the road being empty and walkways free from anyone. She clicked her tongue as she looked down at the needle pointing to 10 on her watch. There was so much work to be done today that she ended up having to do overtime to finish everything. 

Suddenly, a car came from the opposite and seemed to be driving towards her. It was moving at a 130 kilometers per hour and she had to jump away from the pavement to avoid the car from hitting her. She fell onto the grass, scrapping her hands and knees in the process, and watched the car drive off. She wasn't sure what that was all about, but somehow it seemed like the driver had every intention in killing her. Cursing as she didn't get to see the person's face or the license plate number, she could only pick herself up and headed into the apartment.

The next day, her stomach started hurting and she quickly went to see a doctor--fearing for the unborn child within her. The doctor warned her to be careful because she had almost miscarried when she fell and that she will definitely lose the child the next time it happens. Holding a hand over her stomach, she made her way over to Mr. Kaneki's house.

\--

"Did you hire someone to scare me, by chance?" Touka asked.

Mr. Kaneki laughed. "You didn't seem like you wanted to leave my son's side so I thought of having someone to scare you off. I guess it worked since you came here to ask me that."

She seethed with rage. "How could you? What if I had died then? You would have been branded a murderer of 2 lives."

"That wouldn't happen in a million years because I would have someone to be my scapegoat. You were lucky this time. The next time, he won't miss. He'll hit you directly. When that happens, you will lose your child and possibly your own life."

A chill ran down her spine at his terrifying gaze. His eyes were serious, he wasn't joking.

"What do you say? Will you leave my son alone now? Or will you risk your life and the unborn one inside you?"

The doctor's words rang in her mind. The next time she falls, she will lose her child. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes but she held it in. She didn't care about her own life, but she couldn't let Ken's and her child lose theirs. Not when they don't deserve it. She had to leave Ken, for their child's sake. Her hand moved to rest on her stomach and she bit her lower lip. 

"Fine. I'll leave your son alone. But on one condition. Ken has told me that he rarely experienced the feeling of being loved for almost the whole of his life. I hope that once I'm gone, as parents, you and your wife are able to provide him with the love he's been devoid of for all of these years. Just like he filled my empty heart with his love for me. Everyone in this world is an empty vessel. It is only with love that we are truly able to become human."

"You have my word, Miss Kirishima. Now please sign this contract."

\--

Touka returned home that night, completely devasted by the decision she had made. She couldn't believe that in only 12 hours, she would have to leave Ken forever. The tears she held back flowed down her cheeks and she sobbed alone in their bedroom. Kaneki soon reached home an hour later and she made sure to hide the redness under her eyes before receiving him at the doorstep. 

Once they've both showered and settled comfortably in bed, she turned to him and stared at him. "Ken, what do you think of me going away?"

He blinked at her. "Where are you going?"

"Just answer my question. What would you do if I went somewhere one day?"

"Are you talking about a holiday?" He asked.

"..yeah, something like that." She waited for his answer.

He furrowed his brows and pulled her to his chest. "I'll wait for you to come back then. But if you're going somewhere, take me with you. It'll be more fun if we're together on a holiday."

Touka nodded, tears threatening to spill out again but she stopped them from falling. She then stared at his handsome face and found herself reaching to caress his cheek. His lips curved up into a cheeky grin and his eyes crinkled. "Is there something on my face?"

She forced an uneasy smile. "Nothing. Just..admiring your face."

"Tell me that I'm handsome again. I want to hear it." Kaneki was half expecting her to start blushing furiously, but she did not and smiled instead. 

"Yes, you are handsome, happy now?"

Something was odd. She wouldn't have given the truth to him so easily like that, because of her 'tsundere' personality and yet she just did. He rested a hand over her slim waist and peered into her face worriedly. "Are you alright? Something's up with you today. You're acting weird."

She cleared her throat to make sure her voice wouldn't waver but alas, it did and he noticed it. "I'm fine. Why would you think that I'm not?"

"..did something happen?"

Touka grinned. "Nothing. I just..love you, that's all."

He smiled in defeat. He will respect her wishes of not wanting to share whatever problems she had. When she's ready to, he will listen to her. "I love you too. Stay with me forever, Touka."

His last sentence was the trigger to her tears that finally fell down and she buried her head into his chest before he saw it. "Mm."

\--

I'm sorry, Ken.


	17. Chapter 17

Touka got out of the bed as soon as Kaneki left for work and started her packing. She grabbed every clothing that laid inside the wardrobe, tossed it into her luggage, and packed the remaining necessities. Changing into a new set of clothes, she vacated the house in tears, leaving the ring and necklace, and a letter behind.

A tear fell down her cheek.

Goodbye, Ken.

\--

Upon reaching home at the end of the day, Kaneki quickly tossed his shoes aside and ran towards the bedroom. It's been a long day and he missed seeing his wife. He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her.

But alas, she was not in the bedroom. Nor in any of the other rooms that he'd searched. He frowned before settling down onto the bed and pulled out his phone to text her. Maybe she went to the convenience store without telling him? Either way, he thought that it would be good if he showered first and waited for her to return. He placed his phone down after sending the text and headed over to the wardrobe where he reached for a new set of clothes to change into.

He paused in his actions and stared up at the empty space in the wardrobe. Touka's clothes were gone. His heart raced as he rummaged through the whole wardrobe for her clothes but to no avail. They were all missing. He threw his gaze over to the makeup desk, her makeup was gone and it was empty. Dashing into the bathroom, he found her necessities also gone.

After running around the house to find all of her items, he finally collapsed into the sofa when he realized that it was as if every trace of her ever living here was erased. Everything she possessed has disappeared. He started to hyperventilate. 

Did she leave him? No, she promised him that she wouldn't. He trusted her. She must've just gone on a holiday as she mentioned the night before. He calmed himself down, got up from the sofa and walked over to the dining table to find the 3 items there.

Puzzled as to why she would leave her treasures behind, he picked up the letter and started to read it.

—

Dear Ken,

If you're reading this letter, it means that I would have left by then.

These past 7 months I've spent with you was the happiest in my entire life. You closed the hole in my heart and give me a home, love, happiness. Unfortunately, God has decided that we are not meant to be together.

I'm sorry for leaving you like this. I'm sorry for breaking my promise to stay with you. I'm sorry.

I hope by the next time we meet, you'll be happily married to someone you love and have children with her. Thank you for everything.

Touka

—

Tears fell down his cheeks as he squeezed the letter in his hands.

\--

Kaneki Ken stopped functioning after that day. With Touka not replying to his endless texts and calls, he refused to go to work and spent his days outside looking for her. He had asked people on the streets with a picture if they have seen her and even hired people to search for her. Each day, his hopes were dashed and he'd return home without any news of her.

It's been a week since she left and he's broken down mentally and physically. Without her, he doesn't bother keeping his environment clean. His apartment was a mess; with dirty clothes, alcohol bottles, and cup noodles strewn all over the floor, plates piling up in the sink, and there was even a foul smell in the air. 

His hair was untidy, with strands sticking out all over the place and his fatigue showed on his face, as he struggled to keep his eyes open after having sleepless nights for the past week. He was starting to look more and more like a panda every day with those eyebags of his. He hasn't been eating well either, making his face pale and cheeks sunken in. He doesn't even bother shaving, some stubble already growing from his chin.

Everywhere he went reminded him of her. The living room, where they often spent their late nights together. The kitchen, where they had fun cooking together. The bedroom, where they laid in each other's arms. Tears would brim in his eyes each time he remembered memories of her and he'd always break down crying.

After months of repeatedly acting like a zombie, his company started to dysfunction and his father decided that enough was enough.

"Ken. How long are you going to continue moping like this? Look at the company. She's just a woman. You already have Rize." His father asked, voice stern.

"Just a woman? Just? She meant the world to me! I'm not like you who married mother for business! I loved her! Now that she's gone, I don't...don't know how to go on..." Kaneki sobbed, tears falling down his cheeks as he squeezed his hands into fists.

Mr. Kaneki recalled the words Touka said. Everyone is an empty vessel. They need love to go on with their lives. But he didn't see the point, he's been living fine all this while without love. He doesn't see why his son should need it, after all this time. So he decided to take the company back into his hands again until his son came to his senses.

—

Each time Kaneki laid in bed, his thoughts would wander over to Touka. Why did she leave him? Did he do something wrong? Was she unhappy in their relationship? He recalled the words from her letter.

Unfortunately, God has decided that we are not meant to be together. 

He couldn't for the life of him, think of anything that he did wrong to make her leave him. Sadly, he wasn't able to come up with an answer as his tired eyes closed and he fell into a dreamless sleep.

\--

In an attempt to get Ken back on his feet, Mr. Kaneki got his son's best friend— Hideyoshi Nagachika—to go over and see how he was doing. It's been 2 months since Touka left and he was running out of patience waiting for his son to wake up.

\--

The door to the apartment opened and in walked the blonde haired male. He went straight to the bedroom, where he found his best friend laying in bed with his face into the pillow. Settling down onto the bed, he hit Ken's butt and grinned. "Hey, you look dead, my man! Haven't seen you like this in a long time. Get up, we're going out drinking!"

Seeing as his joking approach wasn't working when his friend ignored him, Hide decided to try the not-so-funny method. His expression turned solemn and he pondered over his words. "I heard about it. You were in love with her, weren't you?"

Tears brimmed in his eyes and he let a sob escape. "I did. I'm so lonely without her, Hide..."

"Okay, listen. I don't know what made her leave you like that but I do know that you're not one to just let things go down like this. You need to try, find her and get her back! Heck, if you continue acting so pathetically, she wouldn't want to come back to you even if she could."

"I tried... No one saw her." His tears seeped into the pillow, voice hoarse.

"Then continue trying! Are you gonna just give up on her like that? If you really do, I'd think that she made a mistake getting together with this pathetic excuse of a man! Come on, I'll help ya out, alright? I'll try to get my colleagues at the police station to look out for her, yeah?"

Kaneki remained silent to ponder over his friend's words and then nodded. His best friend's words never fail to make him feel better. "Thanks, Hide."

The blonde haired male grinned and patted his friend on the back. "No problem. For now, you need a god damned shower cuz you stink like hell and clean up your place, bro."

\--

With Hide's help, he managed to pull himself together and resumed work at the company. He thought seriously about the reason Touka left and finally concluded it had something to do with Rize. She was the only one who had proof of them dating and if she was really the cause of all this, he really didn't know what he'll do to her.

He looked down at his watch. At this time of the day, she was probably at home and he decided to pay her a visit. Rize was honestly surprised that he was at her apartment after all these years of separation but she knew why he was here. She let him into the house regardless, because she thought that it'd be interesting.

"What did you do with those photos?" Kaneki demanded.

Rize gave a smile. "Why? Don't tell me that she's gone?"

His hands clenched into fists and he gritted his teeth. "Answer me. I don't have time for your jokes right now."

"Mmm, I may or may not have leaked it to someone."

He grabbed her shoulders tightly in anger and glared at her. "We had an agreement. Why did you do it? What have I ever done to you to deserve this?"

"You don't? I remember you told me that you were busy when I asked for your company. Our agreement stated that you were to come to me anytime and anywhere, even if you were really busy. You were the one who broke it and now you're asking me why I leaked the photos?"

Running his fingers through his black hair, his eyebrows furrowed and he sighed in exasperation. "That was because Touka was sick! You can't expect me to abandon her and go to you!"

"Look at you, acting all desperate. But I like seeing you like this. All pathetic. It makes me happy to see you suffer. You looked so happy being with that woman that I couldn't help but want to ruin it all."

He held in his anger and reached into his pocket. "So let me get this straight. You threatened me with the photos just because you think it's fun and want to see me suffer, am I right?"

"Yeah."

Kaneki smirked and pulled out his phone to replay the recording. Rize's face paled at it and then she glared at him. "You..made me talk and recorded it?!"

"Don't blame me for this, Rize. You taught me all of these things. With the pictures of you cheating and this recording, I propose a quiet divorce."

Rize started laughing uncontrollably until she had tears in her eyes and stopped. "Fine. I'll give you your divorce if you give me half of your fortune."

He stared fiercely at her. "How dare you demand money after I gave you everything for the past few years? I gave my everything to you, my money, my time, my effort, my love."

"I didn't ask you to give me those." She giggled. "But hmm, if you beg, I'll consider taking only a quarter."

"You won't. Because this second recording will be going to the police before the lawyers."

Rize laughed again. "You win, Kaneki Ken. Let's get divorced."


	18. Chapter 18

Kaneki had expected his father to put up more of a resistance when he asked to divorce Rize but he didn't, saying that it was fine since he had actual proof of her cheating and the recording as well. He would rather Ken get divorced quietly than risk the photos going to the public, which would destroy the reputation he's been trying to protect.

During the spare time he had from juggling between work and the divorce procedures, he would spend it finding for Touka. Each time, he would return home empty handed and dejected, but the thought of seeing her again motivated him again. He wouldn't quit until he saw her and got an explanation from her on why she left.

\--

Fast forward to 2 years later, Kaneki was single again, and the company was doing well but he still had a void in his heart. He searched the whole of Tokyo and still couldn't find Touka. Just when he was starting to lose hope on ever seeing her again, he received a text message from Hide. It said that one of his friends saw her in Hokkaido. His heart flipped and he immediately gave a call to his best friend to get more information.

\--

He took the earliest flight to Hokkaido and his heart raced as he boarded the plane. What if she didn't want to see him? What if..she was already married to another guy? What would he do then?

Whatever it was, he would decide when he got to see her.

\--

Following the address on the piece of paper given by Hide's friend, Kaneki walked around the small neighborhood in search of Touka's apartment. He stopped in front of a building and walked up the stairs. Once he was at the door, he took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

Footsteps came from behind the door and he heard his heart thump in his ears. He prayed that this was the correct house. A spectacled blonde haired male answered the door and stared at him. "Who are you?"

"Who's at the door?"

Kaneki's heart skipped a beat. It was Touka's voice.

"I don't know this guy. Is he your friend?"

Touka came to the door. "Who—" Her eyes widened at the sight of her ex-boyfriend. "Ken..."

He felt his throat dry and swallowed. So many questions came to his mind. Why did she have a guy over at her house? What is their relationship? Is he just a friend or something more?

"Ken? Ah, it's that guy... Touka, go in first. I'll settle this." The male said and she nodded with a sad expression on her face before turning back to head inside.

"Touka—" Kaneki called as he reached out his hand for her but it got blocked by the male as he closed the door. He leaned against the door and folded his arms.

"The name's Nishiki. I heard about you from Touka. I don't know how you found her, but I'm warning you, don't ever come here again. You hurt her, and I don't want to see that again. Now leave."

"..who are you to her?"

He grinned and showed his left hand. "I'm her husband, now get lost."

Kaneki's eyes widened at the silver ring that laid on the male's finger and he felt his chest tighten. After everything they've been through, he couldn't believe that she would marry another guy. He wanted to hear it from her own mouth.

"I want to talk to her. Please, just give me 5 minutes. I came all the way from Tokyo and I can't leave without—" he pleaded.

"If you don't leave, I'll call the police on you."

"..fine. But I'll be back."

—

Nishiki headed back into the apartment after Kaneki left and Touka looked at him apologetically. "Thanks for covering for me, saying you're my husband and all..."

"Nah, words mean nothing. My heart belongs to Kimi either way. Hey, watch your kid. She's trying to put something in her mouth." Nishiki grinned.

Touka quickly turned to remove the toy from her 1 year old daughter's hand and placed it down. She pulled her giggling baby into her arms and kissed her forehead with a smile. But behind that smile, was a brooding expression, and Nishiki could tell.

"So what are you going to do? He found you."

"I don't have money to move houses so I'll just..do what I have done for the past 2 years and continue to avoid him."

—

It's been a few days since then and Kaneki has observed how Nishiki and Touka seem to take turns being at home. While Touka is out during the day, Nishiki is at home. The moment she reached home in the evening, he would take his leave and only return the next morning.

—

He looked down at his watch. It was 6.44pm. Touka would be home soon and it would be his chance to go to her. The moment the clock finger turned to 6.45pm, he watched her approach the building and climb up the stairs to her apartment while carrying a bunch of plastic bags. Nishiki opened the door for her, conversed with her for a bit before closing the door behind him and left the place.

After he has walked quite a distance away, Kaneki came out from his car and made his way to her house. He pressed on the doorbell, heard the thumping of her footsteps and the door clicked as it opened.

"What? Did you forget something—" Touka paused with a frown and turned to close the door, to which he held onto it and quickly forced his way into her house.

"I didn't say you could come in."

Her heart thumped in her ears. He needs to leave, he needs to leave now. I can't let him get into my heart again, it'll hurt when we separate—Her thoughts got interrupted as his arms wrapped around her from behind and she inhaled. She felt his breath on her neck and deep voice in her ear. "I missed you."

The sadness in his voice matched his words and she knew he wasn't lying. She bit her trembling lower lip and turned around to push him away. But he wouldn't budge, taking this chance to cup one of her cheeks and gazed into her eyes. Whatever words she wanted to say stuck in her throat when she met his sorrowful grey eyes.

At the moment, she knew that everything she has done the past 2 years to forget him was all for naught, because she couldn't refuse him. She just couldn't, not when he looked like the old him, those eyes displaying immense loneliness and sadness.

Kaneki leaned in to kiss her, she didn't want to stop him and so closed her eyes. Their lips met, and Touka sighed into the kiss, arms going to wrap around his neck to pull him close. His arms tightened around her waist and he bent forward to deepen the kiss. They separated hesitantly to look at each other's faces. Her features have matured somewhat, but she still looked as beautiful as ever.

She frowned when she saw the dark circles under his eyes, the hollowness of his cheeks and paleness of his skin. Now that she was right in front of him, she could tell that he looked exhausted. He was never like this when they were together.

"Why is your face like this? What happened to you?"

"I..after you left, I broke down. I couldn't live without you. I couldn't sleep and eat for days, I wouldn't clean my apartment, and I couldn't go to work. I missed you so much that I wanted to die when you weren't with me."

She caressed his cheeks, tears brimming in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Please tell me, why did you leave—"

A baby's crying voice resounded through the apartment and Touka quickly released herself from his arms to rush towards the sound. He followed after her, entering the living room to find her holding a child in her arms and rocking it back and forth. His heart dropped to the bottom of his rib cage, and he couldn't help but feel a burn of jealousy coming up. "Does that child belong to your husband?"

"This child's yours, Ken."

He gasped. "Mine..? I don't remember us ever having a child. When did this happen?"

"Do you remember the day I went to the hospital? I found out I was pregnant that day but I wanted to wait until we were married to tell you. Before that happened, we had to separate and I didn't get a chance to say anything to you..."

Kaneki stared at the smiling child in her arms. "What's the gender? And the name?"

"A girl. Her name's Ichika."

Ichika... He recalled that night when they discussed baby's names and tears escaped his eyes. "You remembered I wanted that name for a girl..?"

Her eyes softened at him. "Of course. Do you want to hold her?"

"Yes please." He answered, eyes never leaving the child as Touka walked over to him and allowed her into his arms. The baby gurgled and he found himself grinning when her tiny hand grabbed one of his fingers. "She's beautiful, Touka."

Seeing the father and daughter interact was such a heartwarming sight that Touka couldn't help but smile. It soon turned into a frown, when she saw tears fall from his glistening eyes. She took a step forward and rested a hand on his arm. "Hey, why are you crying?"

Kaneki shook his head as his tears continued to fall. "I'm just upset that I let you suffer all these years alone... I should have been by your side. Now, I'm too late. You're already taken by another guy..."

"It's not your fault—and Nishiki was just lying when he said he was my husband. I asked him to help me if you came to find me. Sorry, Ken."

He raised his head to meet her gaze. "He's not?"

"Nope."

The male sighed in relief and hugged her with one arm. "I'm glad."


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> smut / lemon warning at the bottom of this chapter~

The two then had their dinner in silence, with Kaneki stealing a glance at her once every few seconds—to which Touka noticed but decided not to say anything until she was done eating. After placing the utensils into the sink and washing them, they settled back down at the small square table on the floor and he continued staring.

"What is it, Ken? Is there something on my face?"

He flinched and gave a sheepish smile. "You caught me. I was just waiting to ask if I could kiss you."

The ends of her lips curved up to a smile and she shifted closer to him—shoulder to shoulder—on the tatami mat. "What would you do if I said no?"

His smile turned upside down. "I'd...respect that."

She giggled and slung an arm across his chest to rest on his shoulder. "I was just kidding, silly. Of course, you can kiss me."

He smiled at her playfulness and turned slightly to face her. As permitted, he leaned in to kiss her, a hand on her waist and the other on her cheek. They exchanged many brief kisses, each lasting longer than the last and he pulled back to press kisses down the sides of her slim neck. She let out a moan and leaned against him.

One of his hand moved underneath the hem of her shirt, touching her bare and soft skin with his fingers. Touka grabbed his hand to prevent him from going any further up and he separated to look at her with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong? You don't want to do it?"

She averted his gaze. "No. I don't feel confident about my body. Many things have changed since I gave birth and I don't want you to dislike my new features..."

Kissing the tip of her pointed nose, he cupped her cheeks and gazed into her uncertain blue eyes. "You gave birth to our precious daughter. I would never hate you or your body for it."

"But...I've grown fatter and now I have stretch marks on my stomach—"

"Nothing will change my feelings for you, Touka."

She remained silent and then stood up to make her way over to the crib. "It's time to feed Ichika."

"Touka..." Kaneki called, voice pleading. "You know I'd never lie to you."

"I know, I just..don't feel good about my body right now. Maybe another time, after I've lost some weight... and turn around, don't you dare look at me while I feed Ichika."

The male turned away with a frown and heard her remove her shirt. His heart started to race as thoughts of her being half naked in the same house, same room and only a few meters apart came to his mind. He heard Ichika make a giggle before she quiets down. The room was filled with silence once again and he decided that one peek wouldn't hurt. He turned around to see Touka with her back to him, holding their daughter in her arms, close to her chest. His eyes dilated at the sight of the creamy white skin from her shoulders, down to the curve of her spine, then to her waist and he swallowed.

"You still look beautiful."

Touka's cheeks flushed and she quickly put Ichika back into the crib before scrambling to cover her body with her shirt. "You idiot—I told you not to look!"

He stopped her and slowly put her hand down. "I want to see."

"I don't want you to."

He pressed a kiss to her naked shoulder as his arms wrapped around her from behind. "You're beautiful, just like 2 years ago."

Though she was embarrassed by his compliments, she couldn't help but feel happy that he didn't see her differently at all now that she has given birth and her body have undergone many changes. She turned around, still clutching the shirt to her chest with one arm and cupped his cheek with the other hand. "Do you mean that?"

"Yes, and I'll prove it."

\- WARNING SMUT AHEAD. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK -

Touka laughed at his reply and he stared at her with a frown on his face. “It’s okay. I’m not making fun of you. I was just reminded of how you also said the same thing when you claimed you love me. That night was the first time we made love.”

The male’s eyes softened at the memory and he smiled. “Yeah, you were really stubborn about it. Even now, you still are.”

She laughed again, slowly letting it die down as they stared at one another with smiles on their faces. He’s the first one to break the silence and stood up. “Let’s set up the bed first, so you can be comfortable.”

“Mm. The mattress is over there in the corner.”

He nodded as an answer, moved to spread the mattress out onto the floor and placed the pillows at the top. “Why do you have 2 pillows and futons?”

“Oh, Nishiki‘s wife often stays over to help me take care of Ichika.”

He frowned at her answer. The thought of having someone else take care of her disturbed him. He was supposed to be doing that, she was the mother of his child. Yet, he wasn’t able to do that for the past 2 years.

Touka crawled over to the mattress and sat on it. Kaneki knelt down in front of her and moved to kiss her again. He would never get sick of tasting her sweet lips and how they always turn up to a grin when he kisses her. “I see you still love kissing, as usual,” she teased.

“I love doing everything if it’s with you.” 

That left her stunned, cheeks burned red and she couldn’t find other words to counter. Her heart raced. He was always the romantic, saying these type of cheesy things. 

He then added pressure to her shoulders, slowly pushing her down to lay onto the mattress and got on top of her. Attempting to pull the shirt away from her chest, Touka continued to hold onto it so tightly, still insecure about the way her body looked. “..let go.” He murmured.

“No.”

He released his hands—to her relief—but he ran them up against her thighs, and she inhaled deeply, letting go of the shirt for a brief moment. He saw this as a chance to snatch the shirt away from her and tossed it to the other side of the room. She scrunched up her nose at her nakedness, and exclaimed, “hey I wasn’t ready—“

The female paused when she saw the way he looked at her body. It was the same as 2 years ago. His eyes were full of admiration, love and well, lust. It baffled her as to how he could still want her even after her breasts have sagged from breastfeeding and how her stomach displayed those ugly stretch marks. 

“You’re beautiful.”

Pulling her hair to her face, she used it to cover the growing blush on her cheeks from his compliment. When he says that, she can’t help but truly believe it. “..stop that, you’re embarrassing me.”

He chuckled, leaning forward to squeeze her breasts with the idea of being gentle, and he loved how her breath hitched when he grazed her pink nipples. Bending down, he took one of them into his mouth and sucked. It was slight, but he could taste the sweetness of the milk that flowed into his mouth. He flicked his tongue against the nipple, with his other hand squeezing and pinching the other, she arched her back and let out a moan. That sent blood down to his aching cock that strained in his pants.

The male’s cheeks tinted red as he separated from her chest and he ventured further down her body to inspect the stretch marks. Fingers splayed across her stomach, he took a good look and pressed kisses to them. She kept on saying how they looked really bad but to him, they really didn’t. He saw them as proof of how she worked hard for her pregnancy and gave birth to a beautiful daughter. 

Moving back up her body, he molded their lips together once again and she wrapped her arms around his neck. They enjoyed a moment of silence as they gazed into each other’s faces before Touka gets slightly impatient, reaching to tug at his top. “Take it off,” she mumbled, as her fingers fumbled with his buttons. He chuckled, pulling back to remove his buttoned shirt quickly and threw it aside. Her eyes scanned his body and her lips turned down into a frown. “You’ve lost weight.”

“I haven’t been eating very healthy meals recently...”

“..I’ll have to make you some next time then.” She replied, a smile gracing her lips.

He grinned. “I would love that.”

She gave a smile as an answer and then cupped his cheeks. “Take me, Ken. I’m ready.”

His Adam's apple bobbed. Should he take her now? It’s been too long since she’s done this and he didn’t want to hurt her. “I don’t think you’re ready—“

“After 2 years of waiting, I’m plenty ready, don’t you think?” She answered with a smirk.

“..okay.” He tugged on her pants, pulling it down together with her white panties before removing his own. Touka watched as his cock bounced out from his boxers and how he quickly put on protection before positioning in between her legs. His eyes met hers and she nodded.

Kaneki started to push in and she gritted her teeth as she felt the stretch to accommodate to him. He had always been big and she’s regretting not asking him to prepare her more for this. “Touka—are you okay?” The strain in his voice told her that it was hard for him to move any further until she gave him permission.

She breathed and got her body to relax. “I’m fine.”

He continued going further until he was fully seated inside of her and his body dropped forward, arms forming a cage around her. His cheeks were pink, just like hers and he stared down at her with a worried expression on his face. “Did I hurt you?”

“A little but I’ll be fine.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll help you feel better.” His lips met hers, sucking gently before he dabbed his tongue on her lips, asking for entry which she allowed. His tongue entered her mouth, exploring it and his hand moved down to grab one of her breasts, causing her to choke out a moan. They separated with a string of saliva between them before he went down to suck on the delicate skin of her neck and she clutched his back when he found her sensitive spot. One hand moved down to where they were joined and rubbed. 

Kaneki watched as she panted with red cheeks and grabbed his arms at the pleasure she was experiencing. “Do you feel better?”

“Yes.”

He smiled, then grabbed onto her hips and started to push. He knew that whatever happened afterwards, he would never forget the image of her on the bed, hair sprawled across the pillow, cheeks flushed, pink lips parted and her breasts bouncing at every thrust he made. His hand laid atop hers, finger laced together as he leaned forward to kiss her again and she encircled an arm around his neck to pull him close.

Burying his face into her neck, he panted as he continued to drive into her and licked the back of her ear. Touka crossed her legs over his back, allowing deeper access and moaned right into his ear, just how he liked it. He groaned at her teasing and put in more effort in thrusting. Soon, she could feel the knot in her stomach and she dragged her fingers down his back. “I’m coming, Ken..!”

“Come for me, Touka.”

He gave a few more thrusts, fingers rubbing at her clit and she quickly came undone with a loud moan that he had to cover her mouth to stop the neighbors from hearing. Seeing that she has already taken her pleasure, he decided that it was time for his own. His thrusts became frantic as he rushed to his own release and with Touka caressing the sensitive skin of his waist, he reached his climax and muffled his groan into her neck.

He collapsed onto her, breathless and she hugged him close to her chest. After regaining some strength, Kaneki rolled off of her and put on his boxers. He laid back down on her bed, arms pulling her close and pressed a kiss to her sweaty forehead. 

Leaning her head against his chest, she listened to the racing beat of his heart and smiled. They remained in each other’s arms, basking in the afterglow of their making love.


	20. Chapter 20

The two laid in bed after their making love and enjoyed each other's company for a short while. Kaneki gazed at her, hand moving to caress her cheek with a smile. "I love you."

Touka's eyes glistened. "I love you too, Ken."

His heart fluttered and he pressed a tender kiss to her lips. She clung onto him, breasts against his chest, leaning into his kiss. He released her, to her disappointment and she watched as he reached for his briefcase and pulled out a box. "Ken?"

"I'll return this to you." He said, opening the box to reveal the ring that he once gave her. Taking it out from the box, he held her hand into his and attempted to slide it onto her finger before she pulled her hand away with a frown.

"Touka, what's wrong?"

"I can't accept that."

"Why?"

"Because we can't be together."

"Is this about the reason you left? Please tell me, I'll do anything I can to help. You promised the night before you left that you'd stay with me. Something must have happened to make you leave."

"..the day I found out I was pregnant, your father summoned me to his house. He had some pictures of us and told me to leave you. He said I was to leave with or without the child and drafted up a contract to stop me from letting you know about this. I had no choice and I couldn't tell you. I-I'm so sorry, Ken. You must have been devastated when I left."

Those pictures... he squeezed his hands into fists. So it was his father that Rize leaked the photos to. That little bitch! He's glad he's divorced from her already. But aside from that, he boiled from anger because it was his father who forced Touka to leave. In these 2 years, his father didn't say a thing when he saw how desperate his son was in finding Touka and pretended not to know anything. How could he do this to his son?

He laughed bitterly. He forgot that he was a heartless father in the first place.

Touka stared worriedly at him when he laughed. "Ken, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'm just thinking about what I should do to him for all of this."

"Don't be rash, please."

He hugged her. "Alright. But I still want you to accept this ring. It's my promise to you that I'll make things okay again. I won't let Ichika be illegitimate."

She watched through wet eyes as he slid the ring back onto her finger and hugged him tightly. "Thank you."

He returned the hug and kissed her forehead. "I'm guessing you want the necklace too now, huh?"

She hit his chest and grinned. "Of course."

—

Kaneki gazed at his beautiful girlfriend who seemed to be more interested in the necklace than him. "Hey... why don't we make love again?"

Her nose scrunched up and Touka frowned. "No, I'm sore."

He deflated and pulled her into a hug. "Okay."

At that moment, Ichika started to cry. Touka quickly separated from him, threw on her shirt and went to her. "What's wrong with Ichika?" He asked.

"She needs a diaper change. Could you help grab one from the drawer over there?"

"Sure."

He brought it over to her and watched as Touka took Ichika out of the crib and settled her down onto the floor. She started to remove the old diaper and he stopped her. "I'll do it. You can rest."

"Are you sure? Do you know how to?"

"I don't but I'll try."

She laughed. "We can do it together."

Touka then taught him the correct way to change diapers and had the most fun when she saw his disgusted expression upon smelling the poop and pee. Once they were done, she was about to put Ichika back into the crib when Kaneki suggested having her sleep in between them.

—

Kaneki stared at his daughter. She had black hair and a slim nose just like his, and blue eyes, pink cheeks, and lips just like Touka's. He reached to poke her cheek, to which she responded with a giggle. Touka watched the heartwarming sight of the father and daughter interacting and smiled. Patting Ichika on the stomach, she hummed a lullaby and soon, her eyes were closing and she fell into a deep sleep.

"You're a great parent." He paused. "Unlike me. I'm a failure."

She pushed his bangs away from his face and caressed his cheek. "You are not. You just haven't had the opportunity. I'm sure you will get more chances in the future. Don't give up, Ken."

He held her hand as tears escaped his eyes. "Thank you."

The couple fell asleep with Kaneki's arms wrapped around Touka and Ichika.

\--

The next morning...

Touka frowned as they stood at the doorstep. "Do you have to leave?"

"As much I don't want to, I have to. I need to get back to my company. I'll try to convince my father then I'll come back for you. I promise I'll make it right this time." Kaneki said, moving to envelop her in his arms and inhaled the flowery scent of her hair. "I'll miss you."

She nodded and hugged him. "I'll miss you too. Don't forget to call or text me when you're back."

"Mm."

As if sensing or knowing that her father was leaving, Ichika started to cry and Touka quickly rushed back to take her in her arms. Kaneki followed after and stared down at his child with a sad smile. "Papa needs to go now but he'll be back." He cooed, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

The crying didn't stop, and Ichika's tiny hands grabbed his shirt tightly and refused to let go. Tears brimmed in his eyes as he took her and hugged her close to his chest. "Papa doesn't want to leave too..."

Touka sighed as the two of them sobbed together and took Ichika from him. "I'll handle her, you need to go or you'll miss your flight."

He wiped his tears away and reached into his jacket for an envelope. "Okay. Here's some money for you. I hope it's enough until I come back."

"You don't have to—"

"I want to. Now that I found you and Ichika, I want to take care of the both of you. Take this money and go buy some good food or new clothes. You deserve it."

She stared down at the envelope and took it. "Okay. Thank you."

He wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her lips for the last time. With that, he took the afternoon flight back to Tokyo, leaving Touka and Ichika all alone in their tiny apartment again.

—

As soon as he reached the airport, he took a cab to his father's apartment. He seemed to be surprised that his son was here but let him in nevertheless as he looked like he had something to talk about. After settling down on opposite sofas & Mrs. Kaneki have served the tea, Ken stared at his father. "Why didn't you tell me that you were the one who made Touka leave? You saw how miserable I was when she was gone and didn't say a single thing."

His eyes narrowed at his son. "She told you?"

"I found her in Hokkaido and got her to tell me everything. How could you? You knew that I loved her!" He exclaimed.

"Love doesn't last forever, son. It's only at this moment. I'm trying to help you, one day you'll regret ever getting together with that woman because you'll find that she's with you because you have the money and not because she truly loves you."

He clenched his hands into fists and felt his anger boil. He was supposed to be talking to his father calmly but he just couldn't, not when he was talking so rudely about Touka to him. "Help? You call threatening her to leave me, help? All you ever did was ruin my life, starting from the day you married me off to Rize and she cheated on me after. And how dare you call Touka a money grabber. I was the one who initiated the relationship, not her. I won't sit and let you insult her, father."

"What's your point? Did you come here to argue with me?" Mr. Kaneki asked, leaning back against the sofa.

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "What will it take to convince you to give me your blessing in our marriage?"

"Nothing."

His voice wavered. "Why are you so against her?"

"I need someone who can handle the company with you, and bear the family a male heir."

"She was my secretary once, she will be able to handle the company with me if I slowly teach her. If it's a boy heir you want, then I'll make one with her. Nothing is impossible." He answered.

"She's of lower birth and doesn't deserve to be your wife."

How dare he—breathe, Ken. Don't flare up.

"I love her and she loves me. That's all that matters. If you're still unable to accept that, I can't do anything about it. I wanted to at least get yours and mother's blessings when I marry the person I love but that seems impossible. I'll go ahead with the marriage, even without it."

"Your mother and I won't go to the wedding."

"That's fine." Kaneki stood up and left the house. He gave a call to Touka and she answered after a few rings. "Hello?"

"Touka, let's get married."

"You got your parents' permission?" She seemed shocked to hear that since his father was the stubborn type.

"No, but I'll still marry you. It's a little sad that I can't get them to come to our ceremony." She could sense the disappointment in the voice, which he quickly tried to hide. "But it's alright, I still have you."

"But what about Rize? Are you still married to her?"

"I divorced her already. So I'm free and single now." He grinned and she laughed. "Okay."


	21. Chapter 21

"Isn't it enough?" Mrs. Kaneki asked.

"What's enough?" Mr. Kaneki answered in annoyance.

"Controlling our son's life. How long has it been since we've seen him smile? It's been years. Ever since that lady came into his life, he's been nothing but happy. Though we may not have been able to fall in love like normal people would and provide him the love he wanted, I feel as parents, we should at least go to his wedding and give our blessings."

The male gritted his teeth. "His life will be ruined if he married that woman."

"I know you're doing this for Ken's own good but it is his choice. He chose her and I believe that it is his right decision. You saw how he miserable he became when he was separated from her. I don't want to see that again. He deserves happiness, something that he has been deprived of his entire life. Yuichirou, please don't fight him anymore on this. As a mother, I'm heartbroken to see the both of you always at odds."

He clenched his hands into fists. "We're not going and that's final."

—

Kaneki brought Touka and Ichika back to Tokyo and they lived back in the same apartment as before. They purchased new furniture for their child as well as food ingredients—in which Touka promised that she'd cook meals for him so that he'd gain back the weight he lost and be healthy again. During the weekdays, Ken worked. During the weekends, however, he was with Touka, preparing for their ceremony that would happen in 3 months. They would make invitation lists, try on wedding outfits and dresses, visit potential venues and many more things to be done.

One night, as the engaged couple was looking at the invitation list, Touka noticed the frown on her fiance's face. "Ken, are you sure you don't want to send an invite to your parents? They are your parents, after all."

He sighed as his fingers intertwined with hers. "I know, but they said they wouldn't come."

"I know that you'll definitely regret it if you don't send them one. I don't have any more family I can invite but you do, and I hope you'll cherish them. I'm sure your parents would want to see you happy on your wedding day. No parent would miss their children's joyous occasion."

"..alright, I'll send them an invitation though I don't expect them to show up."

3 months later, on the wedding day at the church... 

After all of the guests have been greeted and shown to their seats, Kaneki deflated in disappointment when he didn't see his parents amongst the guests. He figured his father was stubborn till the end and refused to come. The ceremony was going to start in 30 minutes and they would have to close the doors if they weren't here soon.

Whilst in the dressing room, Touka asked her best friend, Yoriko, to check the hall whether his parents have arrived but to no avail. She frowned, she really didn't believe that they were that heartless to not come to their son's ceremony. She then picked up his phone and dialed.

\--

"Yuichirou, do you really not plan on going to our son's wedding?" Mrs. Kaneki asked.

"No."

"Don't you want to see him get married to the love of his life? I believe he'll be very disappointed if we didn't go. If he didn't care, he wouldn't have come to get our blessings for his marriage. He still sees us as his parents, as horrible as we may be."

At that moment, his phone rang and he picked it up.

"Mr. Kaneki, this is Kirishima Touka. I heard from Ken that you will not be showing up for the ceremony but allow me to speak the truth. Though he tries not to let it bother him, it still shows in his behavior. He wants both of you to be here on his special day. There's still 30 minutes to the start of the ceremony and I hope that you can be here for your son's sake, even if you dislike me. Goodbye."

Touka hoped that this will change their decision.

"Isn't she the nicest girl? She knows that you hate her but still wants you to be there for Ken." Mrs. Kaneki praised.

\--

"Kaneki, it's time to start." His best friend, Hideyoshi Nagachika, patted him on the shoulder. 

"Could we wait 10 more minutes? There may still be people on the way." Kaneki asked, eyes never leaving the church doors. He was still waiting, waiting for his parents to come.

"Alright, you call the shots. You're the groom after all. But we must start after 10 minutes, we can't let our guests wait too long."

\--

His parents were still not here after the 10 minutes have passed and he lost all hope that they would ever come. He ordered for the doors to be closed and to proceed with the ceremony. Instead of focusing on his parents, he needed to focus on his wife-to-be. He was going to be the happiest man in the world today and he couldn't let his disappointment distract him.

The church's lights dimmed and the emcee announced the arrival of the bride. The doors burst open and pink petals flew in with the wind. Touka stood at the base of the red carpet, with a white veil over her face and an off-shoulder wedding gown and his eyes stung with tears. She was so beautiful.

Her blue eyes peered through the translucent veil and she smiled sweetly at him. She walked down the aisle, with Nishiki by her side, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. They soon reached the front of the church, where Nishiki passed her to Ken before taking his seat beside Kimi.

Kaneki took her lace-gloved hand in his and the pastor started talking some stuff they couldn't register, not when they were gazing at one another so lovingly. It was their big day, and they haven't seen each other since the previous night. Though the veil was over her face, he could see some of her features. Her pink eyeshadow, long eyelashes, ocean-blue eyes, pink blush, and pink lips. He couldn't wait to claim those delicious pink lips. 

While he admired her, she also took this chance to look at her soon-to-be husband. He was dressed in a black tuxedo with a bow tie at his neck. Even in his normal clothes, he was handsome. Now in his tuxedo, he was stunningly handsome to her. The wide grin on his face made her giggle. 

"Do you, Kaneki Ken, take Kirishima Touka, for your wedded wife, to love and cherish, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward?" 

Ah, tears welled in his eyes. "I do." 

"Do you Kirishima Touka take Kaneki Ken, for your wedded husband, to love and cherish, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward?"

"I do." She answered without hesitation.

"The bride and groom may now kiss." 

Kaneki slowly pushed the veil to the back and claimed her lips into a searing kiss. After their kiss, they turned to the crowd with a smile. 

"Allow me to present Mr. and Mrs. Kaneki."

The audience exploded into a big applause and the couple smiled at each other. At the corner of his eye, Kaneki saw his parents standing at the doors and looked at him with a smile. Tears brimmed in his eyes and he bowed to them to acknowledge and thank them for their presence.

In the midst of the audience's celebration, the married couple made their way over to the back, where Ken's parents were. The father and son remained silent before Kaneki's eyes met his father's and mother's. "Thank you for coming. I really am..happy to see you guys here."

"Your wife gave us a call and convinced us to come. You should thank her." Mrs. Kaneki said.

He spun his head to her and she could tell the gratefulness in his eyes as he squeezed her hand in his. "You did? Thank you, Touka."

She only smiled at him.

"Your father and I have talked it over and we have decided to stop interfering with your life. You're already 26 and we believe you can make your own choices. With that, your father has something to say to the both of you." Mrs. Kaneki said.

The grey-haired male cleared his throat and stared straight at his son. "I apologize for what I have done and I am truly sorry for my actions. As a father, I have failed to see what you really wanted and forced my wishes on you. Please forgive me." 

"I will only forgive you if Touka does. She suffered more than me after all." He glanced at his wife. "What do you say?"

"Though there is no excuse for what I did, I hope you will forgive me. I only wanted the best for my son." The elder male bowed to Touka, tilting his head down. 

"Mr. Kaneki, though your actions were wrong, I can tell that you did it because you wanted your son to be happy. As much as I find it hard to forgive you, I will say I will because I don't want you two, father and son, to be at odds forever because of me. I hope that you will turn over a new leaf and treat Ken the way he deserves to." Touka answered.

"Yes, of course. I will prioritize my son's happiness from now on. And yours, as well. Is there anything we can do to help the two of you with?" He asked.

They pondered over it and Kaneki grinned. "Then could you help us babysit Ichika while we go on our honeymoon?"

"Ken!" Touka exclaimed. "Who said we weren't taking Ichika with us?! I will not be separated from her! She needs me, she needs us!"

The male's lips turned down into a frown and a sulk appeared. "I was hoping that we could spend some time together alone. We've been separated for 2 long years..."

She was about to retort but her mother-in-law quickly interrupted her with a smile. "Of course, we'll take care of our grand-daughter. You guys can go and have some fun! Remember to take pictures and bring back souvenirs!"

With that, she took her husband by the arm and dragged him away from the married couple. Though Touka didn't want to be separated from her daughter, she can't deny that she also wanted to have some alone time with Ken after being separated from him for so long.

After the celebration was over, they got on a private plane and flew to Paris, the city of love. 

Touka stood at the balcony, jaw dropping at the beautiful scenery before her. It was night, the dark sky illuminated by the city lights and the Eiffel Tower glowed in gold. She then felt warm arms wrap around her from behind and a breath on her ear. "Do you like the view, Mrs. Kaneki?" He asked playfully.

Smiling, she turned around to cup his cheeks while his hands rested on her waist. "Of course I do, my husband."

Kaneki grinned, leaning down to nuzzle his nose against hers before claiming her soft lips. His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her close as she stood on her toes to deepen the kiss. They separated hesitantly and knew what they wanted to do, making their way towards the king-sized bed.

\--

The male placed a hand on his wife's arm, slowly moving it down her body to rest on her waist. Pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, Touka returned it and smiled up at him. His forehead came to rest against hers as his grey eyes gazed into her blue orbs. "Promise me that you'll stay with me forever."

This time, she said yes and kept her promise.

\--

"I love that you are my person and I am yours, that whatever door we come to, we will open it together." — a.r. asher


End file.
